The Grass is Always Greener
by Eets
Summary: Adrianna Greengrass tries so hard to please her pure blood family but falling in love with Gryffindor and blood-traitor Sirius Black certainly isn't going to do that! And so she faces the horrible choice between her family's honour and her love...SBxOC
1. Chapter 1: Beginnings

**A/N: ****The whole of the amazing Potterverse belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling! Not me, unfortunately...**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Greengrass<strong>

Adrianna loved her family. Despite everything, she did love her family. Perhaps not her younger sister, Calliope, so much – they had never been exceedingly close and, in fact, they had never really had much interaction at all. That was what happened, eleven year-old Adrianna Greengrass supposed to herself, when one lived such a very big house.

Her driver was dropping her off at Kings Cross; her parents _had_ wanted to come, they had assured their eldest daughter but they really were terribly busy that day. Adrianna didn't mind, she liked Dave well enough. He made her laugh and gave her lemon sherbets. He was a Squib.

Also, Adrianna's mother had bought her a new dress to go the station in. It was in her favourite colour, blue. Most people Adrianna knew wore green but her mother sighed and said green didn't go well with Adrianna's hair. This seemed to disappoint her greatly but then again, most things seemed to disappoint mother, thought the girl.

Cissy would be there at the platform and maybe Regulus too, seeing as his older brother would join Hogwarts this year too. Cissy was as close to a friend as Adrianna had - if you didn't count Dave and Gillie the house-elf (and father assured Adrianna that they most certainly _did not_ count). Adrianna was not so keen on Narcissa's older sisters: Bellatrix had dismembered several of her teddies on one visit to the Greengrass mansion and Andromeda was a _bad egg._

Regulus was pretty neat too, in Adrianna's opinion. It would have made sense for Adrianna to be closer to Sirius, as they were the same age, but father said he might turn out to be a _bad egg_ too and it didn't do to be exposing his daughter to those kinds of ideas.

So Adrianna took her lessons with Regulus and Rabastan instead.

However, Dave soon informed Adrianna that she might not have time to see anyone on the platform.  
>"I can't find a parking space, princess," Dave spoke through the see through plastic that separated them. "I'll look some more, but if I can't find one I'll have to drop you by the doors."<p>

The young girl wasn't fazed by this; she could find her own way on to the platform. She was very independent, everyone said so and Adrianna liked this because it definitely sounded like a good thing, to be independent. You oughtn't to rely on other people, her parents had told her, they will always let you down.

She wheeled her trolley through the wall calmly, she had a few minutes to spare but platform 9 and ¾ was pretty much deserted. She beckoned a porter and left her cases before making her way towards the scarlet engine. Gryffindor favouritism there, she thought, that wasn't very fair at all. Most of the school was biased against Slytherin, her lessons with the boys had warned her. And she would be in Slytherin, she _had_ to be. Adrianna _always_ made her mother disappointed, she knew she did, and this time she wanted to make her mother smile that tight smile that almost conveyed some pride in her daughter. She wanted her father to call her his 'little Anna' and let her sit in his study for half an hour while he took telephone calls.

It was like a game for her, to achieve these little things.

"Oh, excuse me, I'm so sorry…" A tall redheaded girl had walked straight into her, dragging her trunk along the platform and attempting to squeeze it into the carriage.

"What are you doing?" asked Adrianna. "Surely you know, you just give it to a porter. He'll make sure it gets on the train safely."

The girl looked at her surprised. "Oh. I've never caught such a fancy train before – is that man a porter?" Adrianna helped her call a porter before climbing on the train with the confused girl.

"Would you like to find a compartment with me?" Adrianna offered politely, expecting to girl to say no and find her friends as Adrianna wanted to.

However the girl beamed and replied "Oh, please! Ah, wait," She had spotted a boy wandering down the passageway. "Sev! Hey, do you mind if Sev comes with us?" Adrianna shook her head and smiled a vacant smile like her mother did when she was forced into social engagements she didn't want to go to.

They found a compartment full of rowdy boys (one of them that Sirius Black, Adrianna was displeased to notice) and they were terribly cruel to poor Severus, who seemed perfectly okay to Adrianna. Eventually, they found a much calmer spot and settled down for the journey.

Adrianna's vacant smile didn't stand up for very long against the thousand watt beam of Lily Evans' grin. She found herself laughing and pulling stupid faces and having even more fun than she did with Gillie or Dave. Adrianna couldn't believe a person could be as funny and as happy as Lily was.

And so it was that Lily Evans and Adrianna Greengrass first met, that train journey was the start of a long and happy friendship.

The two were still side by side as they entered the Great Hall for the first time. Lily was excitedly whispering to Adrianna about the enchanted ceilings. Adrianna knew all this already but didn't want to interrupt her new friend, who looked blissfully happy, quoting _Hogwarts, A History._

The Sorting was hugely interesting for Adrianna who had been brought up knowing all about the Houses and watched with great fascination to where each First Year was placed. Lily was less interested. "The Houses can't be that important." She'd said. Severus and Adrianna had both smiled knowingly and the Greengrass girl felt her respect for the boy grow somewhat.

"Black, Sirius."

The hat had barely touched his head when:

"Gryffindor!"

He stood up, grinning at another boy in the crowds but Adrianna couldn't help but to gasp along with much of the rest of the Hall. Severus leaned around Lily, who looked unperturbed by the shock Sorting, and raised one eyebrow. Adrianna shrugged in silent reply.

"Evans, Lily."

"Gryffindor."

Their shoulders both dropped in disappointment.

"We can still be friends with her though Sev. And who knows, you might still be Sorted into the same House…" Adrianna murmured, he snorted.

"No thanks! _You _could be a Gryff though."

"No _way, _Sev." She laughed too.

And sure enough when 'Greengrass, Adrianna' was summoned, the Hat did place her into the Slytherin House. Adrianna didn't realise, however, just how long the pause had been. A pause long enough to sow the seeds of doubt amongst her elitist friends. Long enough to make McGonagall's nostrils flare impatiently. And long enough to make other students wonder if the Hat had stopped working or if perhaps this First Year was a mistake and was really just a Muggle…

"_How curious. A Greengrass, you should be in Slytherin, my dear. That's the _obvious_ choice but we've had one surprise already tonight –is it about to become two? I am feeling quite rebellious tonight; the question is, are you? You have wit and intelligence, you're awfully nice, brave and stupendously loyal. You could go _anywhere_ it's up to you, my lovely. Where do you want to go?"_

"Please Slytherin, please Slytherin."

"_Really? I suppose you can be cunning (cunning enough to hide you're true identity from yourself but not to _them_) and they've almost got those ideals hammered into you. Well, if you're sure it'd better be…"_

She joined Narcissa with a huge grin on her face but didn't forget to shoot a quick wave at Lily who was glaring absentmindedly at Black.

Looking back, Adrianna couldn't truly believe she'd actually felt that happy, going to walk to the table and to join the House that would enslave and torture her for the rest of her life.

However, one thing Slytherin couldn't take away from her was her friendship with Lily Evans. Despite all her lessons on the importance of blood purity and the stupidity of inter-House relations, Adrianna still kept seeing Lily.

They had soon become inseparable best friends; they spent hours on end holed up in the Library doing homework or just chatting (obviously, their respective Common Rooms were barred to one another) and they decided that as soon as the weather was better in Spring, they would claim the shade of that weathered beech tree and carry on their chatter there.

Lily stayed friendly with Sev but he didn't work as hard to maintain his friendship with the redheaded girl as Adrianna did.

Adrianna and Severus were friends too. She didn't _connect_ that well with people in Slytherin, Adrianna noticed.

Adie (as Lily had begun to call her; like A.D. or ay-dee. She liked it) changed hugely within those first three months at Hogwarts, more than most other pupils. She had led a very sheltered life at home and had come to Hogwarts very naïve - her respect for her parents, however, had not diminished.

Adie adored Lily; she's been warned of the dangers of Muggle borns, of course but Adrianna had realised that her parents must have made some sort of mistake. Maybe they'd met a few nasty Muggle borns but Adie found her parents' teachings to be flawed indeed.

She'd been told that Muggle borns were liars and idiots, who had an illegal claim to _her_ magic. But Lily was so smart and moral and pretty as were many of the pupils of less magical backgrounds, Adrianna found. She hadn't even known Lily was Muggle born until a few weeks into the school year when her fellow Slytherins had demanded to know Lily's blood status – not just anyone can become best friends with a Greengrass.

These Slytherins were less than thrilled with Adrianna's choice of friend. Lucius Malfoy took it upon himself to write to Lucille and Ethan Greengrass. Their response was not happy but they thanked Lucius profusely for his notifying them of this… mishap.

When Adrianna returned to the Greengrass mansion in the Kentish countryside for the Christmas holidays her parents decided to sit her down and have a 'stern chat'. Calliope watched gleefully from the side lines.

"Adrianna, my dearest," her mother began tentatively. "This girl you've made friends with, Lily Evans…" The name was spoken with disdain.

"Oh yes, mother, she's so lovely!" When Adrianna looked back on this memory, as she so often did, she always remembered her voice to be so full of hope and naivety.

"I think you may be wrong about Muggle born witches and wizards; you see, Lily is a _wonderful_ person. Oh, no… Of course, I'm not saying you lied to me, father. Maybe you just made a mistake, it's okay to make mistakes-"

The cracking sound his hand made as it made sharp contact with his daughter's face resounded endlessly, it seemed to Callie. Adrianna's face was blank, her eyes just stared straight forwards and a bright red mark began to bloom across her pale cheek.

No one flinched; neither of the parents, they just exchanged a look which seemed to say that this action had always been inevitable.

"We tried to tell you, Adrianna. You really _must_ learn to listen to what we tell you. You mustn't make mistakes again, okay?"

They sent their daughter back to school melancholy and confused; the world wasn't the simple, black and white placed she had previously thought it to be.

Adie honestly intended to avoid Lily, she honestly meant to hang out in the Common Room with Narcissa and Sev. But she just couldn't help caring.

She couldn't help caring when Lily sought her out, demanding to know if she'd done something wrong. She couldn't help caring when she later saw Lily laughing with that quiet, blonde Ravenclaw Vance in the library. And she definitely couldn't stop her feelings when Lily started to well up, asking once more if they could be friends again.

After that, they never fought again. Until death did them part, they never went a day without talking.

Adie also found that Emmeline Vance wasn't so bad either although she was wary at first, thinking her something of a threat to her friendship with Lily.

"Excuse me, Adrianna?"

She'd looked up, initially frustrated by having her reading disturbed and then becoming positively annoyed upon seeing Emmeline.

"Vance?"

"Oh, please, just call me Emmeline." Adrianna said nothing. "I was wondering if you could help me with the Charms essay… You seemed to understand the Levitation charm so well in class today. Flitwick couldn't sing your praises loud enough!" Emmeline laughed quietly.

"It's simple really. It's all in the wrist movement you see…" It couldn't harm to help the silly girl just once, Adie thought.

An hour later and the two were giggling hysterically. When they reminisced on the day, years later, neither could remember what had caused such raucous laughter but they could definitely remember Pince's face as she threw them out of the library.

"Etched in my mind forever, that ghastly old hag!" Emmeline would exclaim in years to come.

Lily was pleasantly surprised to see her two friends enjoying one another's company when she came to find Adrianna and they soon became well-known as a trio of good friends. The eagle, the lion and the snake. Later, they would joke about finding a Hufflepuff friend, grabbing random First Year Hufflers and pretending to induct them into the group. It always made them snicker to see the edge of panic in the younger children's' eyes.

Lucius wrote once more when it was clear that the problem was persistent; it turned out the Vance girl was a half-blood and her mother a blood traitor. Adrianna endured many a beating over the years and tried, tried _so hard_ to please her parents without compromising her morals. She couldn't help caring so much, she would protest.

That was no excuse, she knew. She saw Narcissa's mask of apathy, a mask worn by so many around Adrianna. But try as she might, she just couldn't construct one of her own, she was doomed to an existence full of emotion and feeling.

A curse is some ways, she thought much later as she waited for the final blow and remembered her friends who had already fallen, the betrayals and the pain. Yet a blessing in so many other ways. Love and friendship and loyalty and laughter – the pros far outweighed the cons.

If she was given the choice, she knew, she'd do it all again.

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><p><strong><span>AN:**Thanks for reading this and please drop me a review (good or bad although hopefully more of the former!), it really does mean an awful lot!****

** I know this first chapter is quite stiff and formal and jumps around a bit but the next one starts in Fifth Year and carries on from there. It's a lot less formal as Adrianna has grown up a lot and has moved away from the very upper-class pure blood style of life somewhat. So don't let the tone of this chapter put you off! (They'll also be lots more Sirius later on in the story...)**

** Thanks again and _please_ do review.**

** Adios, Elle xx**


	2. Chapter 2: Like Home

**A/N:** Not sure if anyone's interested, but here's chapter 2! You know who eblongs to JK and who doesn't...

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><p><strong>Chapter 2:<strong>

Dave climbed into the front seat of the sleek, black Rolls Royce slightly slower than usual – his back had been giving him some gyp recently. He liked his job and the fact that he'd managed to stay in the magical world (albeit in the Greengrass' world); when his pure blooded parents had discovered his lack of magical ability, they hadn't shunned him as some parents did but they had been greatly disappointed.

Dave loved his job so much because of the girl. The older girl, mind, not that younger one – she was a right stuck-up little so-and-so. Just like her parents. But little Adrianna was his princess, he'd been her only friend in her youth (apart from the house-elf, but Dave didn't really count Gillie). He knew she would be different and he had so hoped she'd retain her innocence and ability to love; he'd have hated to see her become her mother.

And she'd done him proud. Little Adrianna wasn't so little anymore, she was fifteen and soon to be sixteen. Only a year away from being of age… Dave smiled to himself. Sometimes he wished he had the strength and the courage to stand up to her beast of a father. That man made Dave want to _spit_. How could he treat his own daughter like that? Adrianna wasn't even related to him but Dave knew he could never do what he did.

He sighed to himself, absentmindedly massaging his lower back and started up the cars low, purring engine. He leant on the horn briefly and waited for the girls.

Calliope had been waiting in the hall. She started slightly at the sound of the blaring horn before leaning gesturing to Gillie brusquely. The old house-elf clicked, moving the trunk to the boot of the car instantly, she looked at her youngest mistress with barely disguised resentment.

Callie returned the look with her most intense glare. Stupid elf, doesn't she know that she's _paid_ to do this stuff for me? the girl thought, she never looks at precious Adrianna like that…

She swung into the car, still sulking. Dave rolled his eyes.

"My sister will be late as usual."

"That's why I honked half an hour before we actually need to leave, miss."

Oh joy, a half hour of awkward silence with _them_, they both thought.

"Aw, crap…" Adie muttered. It was time to go already? She was always so behind time, it was wonder they never missed the Hogwarts Express.

She scrambled to the window, pushing aside the swathes of lace and wiggling her fingers quickly at Dave, who grinned up at her knowingly. She laughed and signalled that she'd be just a moment. They both recognised the white lie.

Adrianna was packed at least but she certainly couldn't turn up to the station like this. Her stockings were falling down and her top was stuck somewhere in the back of her ridiculously large wardrobe. Not for the first time that morning, Adrianna cursed her mother.

"Aha!" She wiggled the thin, white jumper over her head and quickly pulled up her tights. Slipping a pair of pumps on and smoothing her pale blue skirt, she paused a moment to inspect her reflection in the mirror.

The outfit was monstrous, it always was as her mother had picked it out. She insisted on choosing the girls' outfits on their returns to school as they'd see their relatives on the platform. Today's ensemble was slightly better than usual but Adie could rely on her friends to mock it anyway. She grinned ruefully to herself.

And once again she found herself noticing all those little things. She'd been set out from birth really, to be different. Just look at me! she thought. Adrianna didn't possess the characteristic pure blood beauty that graced the haughty features of her mother and sister. Even mad Bellatrix is more beautiful than me… Adrianna was disgruntled by the truth of this thought.

She was pretty, sure, but just that. Her eyes, at least, fit the Slytherin criteria though - pale shards of ice that could create a piercing death glare but were usually cancelled out by the wide grin on her lips. Admittedly, Adrianna did have pretty pale skin but the dusting of light freckles betrayed the hours she spent in the sun, not a very pure blood activity at all.

But worst, her mother would always say, was her hair. It wasn't albino-blonde or even a raven black but an unfortunate _caramel_ colour. Her mother despaired over it. Who wanted honey coloured, warm, sunny hair? What good is that? It clashed with green.

Her looks were nothing though compared to how her family felt about her Muggle loving, friendly, make-love-not-war attitude to life. They never said anything about it though, not since this time exactly five years ago on her first Christmas holiday from Hogwarts. She winced slightly as the grabbed her trunk; the bruises said enough.

Adrianna dragged the heavy case down the stairs and into the grand hallway where Gillie stood patiently; she tried not to make too much noise otherwise she might disturb her father in his study. Her mother was out shopping.

They always said good bye to Callie the night before. Adrianna got a good bye too, but it always seemed ominous and laden with threats to her.

"Shall I do that mistress?" Gillie squeaked, taking Adrianna's hand briefly. Adrianna smiled at her childhood companion.

"Please Gillie, if it's not too much trouble."

The elf clicked and the trunk was gone. The difference was in the way the two girls asked.

Adrianna swung into the car with a radiant grin on her face, "To the station Dave!"

"That was actually far quicker than usual, princess."

"Impressive, eh? I wanted to be quick, I miss everyone in the holidays. I wish mother and father would let us stay at the castle…"

Callie shot her older sister a sharp look, Adie just smiled blithely back at her. Like a fucking dog, Calliope thought, blissfully happy and blissfully unaware of anything happening around her.

"Don't you miss everyone Callie?" Adrianna asked, not entirely hopeful about getting a civil reply from her sister.

Calliope was your perfect, quintessential Slytherin girl: all dark curls and alabaster skin. Her eyes were dark and fathomless, brilliant for masking emotion. She was small and slim, like Adrianna, but possessed far more grace and elegance. If _she_ tripped in the street, she would regain her posture smoothly and instantaneously – _she_ wouldn't tumble face forward into the dust.

"No, Adrianna, I don't." Callie replied with an air of talking to someone mentally incapable. "It's only three weeks for goodness' sake."

"That's practically a _month_! You don't mind being away from Alecto for that long? She's your best friend."

Callie pulled a slight face for a fraction of a second. Alecto was hardly her best friend, just a faithful and stupid (and therefore, very good) henchwoman.

When Calliope didn't reply, Adie decided to drop her attempts to converse with her awful sister. They hadn't grown any closer over the years.

They spent the remainder of their journey staring out of the car windows, in opposite directions.

"Here we are girls."

King's Cross loomed in front of the Rolls Royce; Adrianna wiggled in her seat, unbuckling the belt and leaping out of the car.

"Thanks Dave!" she sung, hugging the man as he stepped out of the driver's door, ignoring her sister's incredulous look.

He ruffled her light curls, chuckling, before grabbing the two trunks from the back of the car. His back twinged again and Adrianna's trunk clattered to the pavement.

"You idiot." Callie hissed from above him as he scrambled on the floor.

Before her sister could intervene, Adie was next to her best friend and heaving the trunk upright herself.

"Don't sweat it Dave."

He took over once the cases were on the trolley, wheeling them on to the platform and up to the porters.

"Bye, princess. Don't let 'em get you down."

"Oh, Dave, they don't 'get me down'. They're not that bad, I mean half of them are family! Don't look at me like that, I know what you're thinking," Adrianna paused, unconsciously pulling her sleeves down, sleeves that masked the hand shaped bruise round her upper arm. "I love them, they just have their priorities a little confused. _Family_, Dave."

The man shook his head; she honestly didn't resent them for it. He couldn't fathom it and she couldn't fathom his confusion. In some ways, Adrianna _had_ kept that black-and-white view of the world. Blood had to be thicker than water, didn't it?

"ADIE!" Lily's voice rang out down the platform. The redhead waved enthusiastically at her best friend, grinning widely.

Adrianna returned the beam, hugging Dave briefly but tightly before sprinting down the expanse of concrete and into Lily's embrace. She could practically hear Callie's eyes rolling and feel the glare she was receiving.

Adie decided she didn't much care.

"Evans! How have you been? How much did you love your present? Yours was _fabulous_."

Lily laughed, tugging at Adie's skirt. "Dria, this outfit is marginally better than usual but still quite appalling…"

Adrianna batted her away, snickering and grinning. She'd missed her friend a lot. They made their way on to the train, stopping at various compartments to catch-up with mates.

"Diana, you are looking horribly tanned – how? It was so freezing!"

"I went to Mauritius, dummy. Adie, don't forget to swing by the Gryffindor Common Room some time – I miss your freckly face."

"Shut it, Cress! They're sun-kisses…"

"I'll make sure of it, Di."

"Thanks Lily, my lovely!"

They swung into their own compartment just as the train was pulling away from the platform. Adrianna stumbled to the window before sitting down to beam one last time to her driver. She turned back once the platform had left sight, settling next to her other best friend.

"Miss Vance! It has been far too long…" Adie spoke in a mock formal voice, slinging an arm around her friend's shoulder.

"Likewise, Miss Greengrass, likewise." Em responded, wrinkling her nose up as she turned to look at Adrianna. "That jumper is absolutely foul. No offence."

The Slytherin scrambled in her bag. "None taken - trust me!" She pulled her robes out of the canvas bag next to her before trying to modestly slip them on.

Task complete, Adrianna sat down properly, letting her feet rest on the padded bench opposite. She twirled her green striped tie absentmindedly around her wrists.

"How was, um, home?" Emmeline tried to ask the question with as little inflection as possible. She thought she sounded _quite_ nonchalant.

Adie turned to look at her, brow raised. "I know what you mean, Ems. And it was… okay. Not great, but when is it ever? Just don't go grabbing my arms too suddenly, you know?" She tugged at her sleeves self-consciously again.

Lily and Emmeline exchanged a loaded glance, feeling (as ever) quite helpless to do or say anything to help their friend.

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><p><strong><span>AN:** Reviews are _absolutely_ adored. Please, please take the time to write one? I'll love you forever and ever!


	3. Chapter 3: Carpe Diem

**A/N: **You know the score: the Potterverse and all its brilliance belongs to J.K. Rowling!

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><p><strong>Chapter 3:<strong>

"Honestly, Adrianna, you should just stop talking to them." Regulus was on her right, Cissy to her left. "They're no good for you. You'll end up like my brother."

Adrianna pulled a face at this comment. "I'll have you know I am _not_ friends with Sirius. And they're absolutely _great_ for me."

Narcissa poked her arms softly but pointedly. "They're obviously not."

"I wouldn't fit in no matter who my best friends were."

"It's not about fitting in; it's about surviving."

"And Cissy, I want to live – not just survive."

The trio of friends fell into silence again; each contemplated their own impending fate. None of the teenagers had what one could call the best home life.

Narcissa was doomed to marry Lucius Malfoy and, therefore Adrianna thought, also become his personal slave. They all knew she'd be the ultimate trophy wife. She'd spend the rest of her life running around after him, expected to organise his life and take on his every belief and view. To be an extension of _that_, Adrianna thought of Lucius contemptuously, is no sort of life at all. Narcissa definitely has it worse than me.

Regulus was the youngest and the most beloved son of the Noble House of Black. Since Sirius had turned out to be such a disappointment, all the responsibility to bring glory to the family lay on Reg's shoulders and he resented his older brother for that immensely. Reg probably has it worse than me too, decided Adrianna. He'd be forced to marry a lifeless pure-blood bimbo and shout abuse at Muggles for the rest of his life.

"I should have been a Hufflepuff or something." Adrianna said mournfully.

"Oh sweet Salazar, don't say that! That's worse than being a Gryffindor for goodness' sake…"

"The house of rejects though, that fits me perfectly! Seriously, though what the hell even _is_ a Hufflepuff?"

"I'm not sure… They don't seem to have any special qualities. Not smart, brave or cunning."

The three laughed. Yeah, Adrianna thought, better to be a Slytherin than a Hufflepuff…

At this point, 'the posse' (as Regulus had dubbed them) swept into the Common Room. Unfortunately for Adrianna, being friends with his fiancée meant that she saw an awful lot more of Lucius Malfoy than she really wanted.

He hated her and the feeling was perfectly mutual. He couldn't stand her Muggle-loving ways and her friendships with Gryffindors and Squibs. She knew he was the one who had written to her parents in her First Year. They'd have inevitably found out anyway, but Adrianna deeply resented the way Lucius had gotten involved with her personal business.

"My darling Narcissa, Regulus and our little Adrianna – how are we faring being back at Hogwarts? I do hope we all enjoyed a pleasant Christmas break?" His silky smooth tone immediately riled Adrianna. He was the sort of person that was completely incapable of ever sounding sincere.

"It was fine thank you, Lucius."

"Sirius didn't cause to much familial discord, I hope."

"He kept himself to himself."

Lucius nodded to himself. The gesture suggested that if Regulus's answer had differed, Malfoy would have gotten involved. This infuriated Adie.

"Well, my break was nice. I did miss everyone though," Adrianna flashed a wide grin and Lucius looked at her somewhat warily. "But I kept in contact, you know? And Lily sent me the most wonderful gift: clothes from some of her favourite Muggle shops."

She knew it would anger them and their reactions didn't disappoint. Calliope, sitting across from her, looked away in disgust as if she was ashamed to be related to her (she probably was, Adrianna realised). Alecto mimicked her leader almost unconsciously.

Narcissa rested her head on her hand with a faint tinge of exasperation which was as close to expressing emotion as she was likely to get. Regulus just cleared his throat uncomfortably.

A thunderous look passed across her nemesis's face for a split second before he collected himself. He stood up slowly and as much as Adrianna hated to admit it to herself, she felt a small twinge of fear in the pit of her stomach.

Lucius grabbed her arm from where it lay on the sofa.

"One day, Adrianna, you will finally learn your lesson. What we've been trying to tell you for years will finally pass through that dense skull of yours," There was a steely look in his eyes that made Adrianna want to turn her face away from his. "You are a Greengrass, a Slytherin. This is not some mould that you can break with your 'rebellious ways'. You should save yourself a lot of heartache and just submit now."

He turned on his heel, stalking out of the main Common Room and through the maze of tunnels that led to the various dormitories. His faithful posse followed suit.

Regulus also stood up from the sofa. He shot a look at his friend, full of sympathy but a helpless look all the same, before leaving the two females alone.

"I hate to say this, Adrianna, I really do… But he's right." Narcissa's voice was full of regret, her eyes were blank. "Sooner or later, you're just going to have to do it; do what I do, every single day. For your own sake, I have to agree with Lucius – just start being a good pure-blood girl. Make it sooner rather than later."

Narcissa took this as her exit cue, leaving Adrianna alone and very close to giving up. However, it would just never be as easy as they all made out, could it?

She felt like she tried _so_ hard at home, to fit in and to please her parents because, honestly, she loved them and wanted them to love her back. But maybe they were all right. Maybe she wasn't trying hard enough.

She shook herself. Adrianna Greengrass would waste no more time thinking about this… _morbid_ subject. Narcissa was right: the 'engagement' day would arrive but Adrianna would wait until the last possible moment before submitting to what they all wanted of her. They'd have to take her kicking and screaming to her executioner, to her pure-blood pedigree husband.

Live for the _present_, she thought, _carpe diem_!

Yeah. _Carpe Diem…_

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><p><strong><span>AN: **Just a short chapter here but... Sirius Black will definitely be in the next chapter! And he and Adie might experience a little tension on the Quidditch pitch...  
>Thanks for reading. Reviews are the best thing in the whole wide world. Much love to ILuvOdie for the review :)<p> 


	4. Chapter 4: The Games Begin

**A/N:** As ever, the beautiful Potterverse belongs solely to JK Rowling! WARNING: There is some bad language further one in this chapter, sorry!

**Chapter 4:**

Adrianna practically flew out of the Common Room that morning; she hated the fact that the Slytherins resided under the lake in the castle, it was impossible to gauge the weather conditions of the day until you got upstairs. And knowing weather conditions was vital for someone like Adrianna, an avid Quidditch player and her teams' star Chaser.

That October morning marked the first Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match of the school year so excitement and tensions were obviously running high. Lily had been telling Adie about how Potter and Black had been caught attempting to hex Lucius, the Slytherin Captain. This greatly amused Adie – as much as she disliked Sirius, she would always hate Lucius more.

When she finally reached the Entrance Hall she immediately made for the huge oak doors leading out to the grounds. They were already wide open despite the early hour. Adie rested against the door frame and sighed happily.

_Perfect_ conditions, she thought. Bright, with light cloud coverage so as not to blind the Seeker; just a gentle breeze; no rain clouds; dry, solid ground for a good kick-off. She couldn't wait.

As she gazed across lake at the Quidditch pitch, Adrianna heard some familiar voices floating through the air.

"It's going to be a great match."

"I know, right? Perfect conditions too; Bright, with light cloud coverage so as not to blind the Seeker; just a gentle breeze; no rain clouds; dry, solid ground for a good kick-off. I can't wait."

Aw crap, the Slytherin girl thought, Sirius Black... There was no way he'd just walk past her without comment, not on a day like this. She considered trying to hide behind one of the huge doors but then she'd probably just end up looking like an idiot. Best to just play it cool, she decided.

To her great surprise Sirius only shot the dirtiest look he could muster at her; his special reserved-for-Slytherins-only death glare. James naturally, Adie thought contemptuously, followed Black's example. Adrianna just let her eyes unfocus and drift over the boys as they stalked past her. But a strange thing happened.

As Remus walked past, he deliberately looked at her; the two made eye contact. And he looked apologetic. Adie felt her lips curve up into her trademark grin, acknowledging his embarrassment.

Unfortunately for the pair, their exchange did not go unnoticed by Sirius.

"Moony, what the hell?" He didn't bother to lower his voice. "For Godric's sake, don't encourage it."

'It'. Adrianna swallowed; Sirius Black, the greatest hypocrite there ever was.

"Please Sirius." Remus sounded somewhat exasperated. "You've barely ever even spoken to her." Another uneasy smile sent Adie's way; her return grin was not quite as enthusiastic as before.

"And, she is Lily's best friend…" Adrianna looked in surprise at James Potter. Was he actually defending her, against his leader and best friend?

Sirius tutted, looking scornfully at his mates. "They are a bunch of poisonous vipers, trust me – I would know. Being one of those dirty Slytherins isn't just something you 'decide you don't really want to be'. She's just like all the rest of them really."

His hypocrisy made Adie want to slam her fist through the wood she rested against. She wasn't usually such a violent person but as Sirius shepherded his gang away from her as if she was some sort of monster, she really felt like hexing him into next week.

I take it back; Adie thought viciously, I think I actually prefer Lucius. What a low.

She simmered angrily in the Entrance Hall for a half hour or so before making her way into the Hall for breakfast. She didn't eat much, she never did before a match, and her mind still lay on that awful Black boy.

To distract herself, Adrianna chatted idly to Regulus, convincing herself that at least one of the brothers was an okay guy. She was just laughing at one of Reg's stories about his mother's eccentricities when she saw Lily and Emmeline subtly motioning her over to the Gryffindor table where Emmeline, although Ravenclaw, often sat.

Adie made her way across the Hall; she never sat with the Gryffindors – that would _definitely_ be crossing the line. However, she could get away with chatting to them every now and again at meal times.

"Miss Vance? Miss Evans?"

"We just wanted to wish you luck, Adie. We may not understand the game whatsoever but, hey, that doesn't really matter."

"You two are such hopeless cases. And anyway, I don't need luck! Not when I've got pure talent and skill on my side!" Adrianna gave her friends a mock smoulder, sweeping her honey hair over her shoulder dramatically.

"Watch it, Snake, nearly dropped your locks in my pumpkin juice!" Diana poked Adie jokingly and the other Gryffindor girls laughingly joined in flaunting their House colours at their Slytherin friend.

"Whatever, whatever – we'll see who's laughing when we murder you on the pitch, eh?" Adie grinned at the others. Her smile soon vanished as Sirius made a derisive noise from where hit sat a few places away from Lily.

Adrianna turned to look at the boy, a sweet smile on her face. "Maybe, I should be wishing you boys luck instead seeing as your team is not so blessed on the skills and talent front?"

She spoke the words calmly and politely. No one missed the fact that they were meant in any way other than that. Adie quickly left the table before Sirius could hurl a return at her, she didn't want to fight with him. She was just sick of putting up with his (in her opinion) completely unjustified hatred of her.

Adrianna had cooled down somewhat by the time she reached the changing rooms. Quidditch was the only time she ever felt any pride in being a part of her House, the only time she enjoyed decking herself out in their signature colours. Quidditch was everything to Adie, one of the things that helped her survive being in Slytherin. When she was flying across the pitch, part of that team, she didn't mind them all half as much.

Walking on to the pitch, hearing the cheers of her House and the hissing of pretty much everyone else, Adie felt a familiar thrill of adrenaline surge through her. This was her third consecutive year on the team and although she wasn't a terribly vain person, she knew she was their best player. And so did they. Aside from Lucius, the Slytherin Quidditch team were the people who treated her best within the House (mainly from fear of her leaving the team but beggars can't be choosers, she thought ruefully).

There was a tense handshake between Gideon Prewett and Lucius before the teams kicked off. Straight away Adie grabbed the Quaffle, weaving across the pitch and exchanging the ball with John Bullstrode. He tossed the ball back into her arms as they neared the Gryffindor posts. Longbottom, the Keeper, didn't even see it coming.

"Nice one, Adrianna!" Lucius called appreciatively. She ignored him, focussing herself completely on the game.

They continued on, scoring endlessly. The Gryffindors were getting massacred by Adie and Bullstrode.

The girl felt a feeling of accomplishment as she passed the Quaffle through the goalposts yet again, realising that it was one hundred and ninety to twenty. Even if they caught the Snitch, we'd still win, she thought smugly. Adrianna let herself exchange a high-five with her fellow Chasers.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Regulus diving frantically. He'd seen the Snitch! Oh! If they caught it now – what a runaway victory… Unfortunately, Gudgeon (the Gryffindor Seeker) was one step ahead and his fingers grabbed the Snitch seconds before Reg.

The emerald-clad section of the stadium erupted into cheers as the final whistle blew. Adrianna saw her team streaking down the pitch to congratulate her; she luxuriated in the feeling of being adored by her fellow Slytherins, even if it would be just for a day.

"SO SLYTHERIN HAVE WON THE FIRST LIONS VS. SNAKES MATCH OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY POINTS TO ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY. A VICTORY LARGELY THANKS TO MISS GREENGR- OI! Black, what are you-?"

Adie swung her broom round as the commentator broke off his exultation of her performance. His exclamation had been aimed at whoever was behind her.

As she turned her broom, a Bludger flew past her impossibly quickly, missing her by millimetres. The force of it almost knocked her off her broom anyway. If she hadn't moved, Adrianna would have felt the weight of that slam straight into her spine.

"BLACK. What the _hell_ were you playing at?" Adie screamed across the pitch; she no longer cared about avoiding conflict with the boy. "The match is over, you _moron_. You could have broken my _fucking_ back!"

In her blinding anger, she barely even realise that she was flying towards her would-be attacker or that he was heading straight for her. They stopped simultaneously, their faces centimetres apart.

"My silly little mistake, I suppose." Sirius spoke quietly and silkily, a dangerous tone.

"Don't even try that shit with me Black – you did that on _purpose_." Adie was shouting again. "What is it with you and your irrational hatred of me? Leave me the hell alone, Black."

"So fucking conceited – guess what? Just like the rest of your nasty House and your stupid pure-blood family. Stop trying to put on this innocent little martyr act. You are _just like them_."

She could contain her fury no longer, moving forwards again with an aim to close the small distance between them. Sirius's wand was drawn and the spell to send her flying across the pitch was on his lips when she felt a pair of arms restraining her. James was holding Sirius back similarly.

"Trying to knock a girl off her broom twice in five minutes? So brave and courageous, Black!" Adie snarled from the confines of his brother's arms. "What a set of morals you have, eh? You are the most disgusting hypocrite I've ever met!"

Emmeline and Lily sat with her in the Library later on, after a stern talking to from Madame Hooch (Adrianna felt a small sense of victory at the fact that Sirius had received detention).

Adie did not want to return to her Common Room that night, she knew they'd congratulate her for her verbal sparring match with Slytherins most hated blood-traitor. But she didn't want congratulations. After the showdown, she had just felt so… _Slytherin_ and bitchy. Not at all like herself; it was why, she reminded herself, that she'd so studiously avoided conflict with Black before. Something about him made her blood boil.

"You really went for him, Adie." Em remarked, breaking the silence.

Adie voiced her feelings about him, the way he made her want to punch things a lot. Her friends had their own theories on she felt like that way.

"He is what you aspire to be," Lily theorised. "Sirius has broken the mould of his family, he's in Gryffindor and is a complete disgrace to you all and yet, he receives a lot less hassle than you. Plus he's always so happy. You're not."

Adie nodded, Lily's theory was very plausible; it did completely enrage her that she was forced to put up with her parents and Lucius's false niceties when all Sirius Black got were a few dirty looks.

Emmeline cleared her throat. "_I_ think it's because you two should be allies, friends. You're both in the same boat, really yet he can't stand you. You're always calling him a hypocrite and its true, Adie – he should admire you and help you."

"Truly," Adrianna pronounced. "I am blessed to have such excellent shrinks for best friends."

She relaxed into the window seat beside her said friends, ceasing her restless pacing. Em was completely right, Adie realised. She resented Sirius because she just couldn't fathom why he despised her so. She was a Slytherin by name, true, but it didn't mean she was a Slytherin by nature…

Adie reclined across Lily's lap, her feet on Em's knees. The redhead pushed her reading glasses to the end of her nose, mock-counsellor-style.

"Now Miss Greengrass," she spoke in a stupid nasal voice. "Let's begin the analysis of your relationship with your mother… If we apply Freud's theory of- Hey! Ouch, Adie don't hit at me like that; you wouldn't hit a real therapist would you now? OUCH! Right that's it!"

That's better, Adie thought, there's no better way to end a stressful day than with an all-out tickling battle with your best mates…

"Adrianna Greengrass! Tickling charms are against the rules!"

"Rules? Pffft, I'm a Slytherin, hadn't you heard?"

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><p><strong><span>AN:** Hope you enjoyed - I sacrificed my exam revision for this! Well, not so much of a sacrifice as procrastination... Anyway, please review - it means an awful lot (:  
>Thanks again to ILuvOdie and to everyone who's taking the time to read this.<br>Elle x


	5. Chapter 5: Study Buddies

**A/N:** It all belongs the that goddess known as JK Rowling, not unfortunately, me!

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><p><strong>Chapter 5:<strong>

Adie decided that it would probably be best to carry on as before, avoiding any conflict with Sirius Black. Their last fight hadn't ended up with any new patients for Madam Pomfrey but next time, she thought ominously, they might not be so lucky.

Fortunately, this was not hard for Adie to do. Although the Marauders were in almost all of her classes, none of her close friends interacted with them much. Lily despised James and Emmeline did speak to Remus on occasion although that was only in order to revise.

Adrianna was friends with most of the Fifth Year Gryffindor girls and although they insisted it was fine for her to come to their Common Room (and Emmeline and others often did), Adie refused. Just like the dining arrangements, that would be a step too far.

I'd probably be throttled in my sleep if Lucius found out I'd stepped foot in the Lions' Den, Adie thought.

And so Adie devoted her time instead to her studies; she was one of the brightest girls in the year, thanks to the sheer amount of work she did. Even Lily complained about Adrianna's self-inflicted workload.

The thing was that, for Adie, a career might be her one chance for escape. Maybe, just maybe she thought, if I get a wonderful Ministry job then I won't be forced to marry. Or at the very least perhaps my allotted husband will let me keep a job. It was a very, _very_ slim possibility but an idea that Adrianna clutched at anyway.

After the stress of her run-in with Sirius (and the awful praise she'd received for it from her fellow Slytherins), Adie had begun to study obsessively. Eventually Lily and Emmeline, as loyal and patient friends as they were, started getting somewhat restless.

"Guys, just go outside, I know you want to. I really don't mind. It's probably easier for me to study alone, anyway." Adie smiled at the pair who shifted guiltily.

"No, we can stay if you want."

"I mean, it is a beautiful day… But we don't mind being here, honest Adie."

The Slytherin just raised one eyebrow in disbelief. "Scram, guys."

Her best friends smiled at her gratefully before rushing out of the gloomy Library and out into the sun flooded grounds leaving Adie alone with her Potions books.

Well, almost alone.

The study habits of one person alone matched those of Adrianna Greengrass. Remus Lupin.

He, like Adie, spent almost all of his time in the Library (although she noted that his friends didn't even _try_ to pretend that they wanted to keep him company). He always made sure to sit a respectful few tables away no matter how busy or empty the room was.

At first it wasn't too awkward, Adie thought, they never interacted naturally so if either had attempted to start a conversation it probably would have seemed forced and stilted. However as the days turned into weeks, Adrianna began to feel uncomfortable.

With _anyone_ else, she would have initiated some sort of interaction by now; it was just the way she was. But she couldn't talk to Remus. He was friends with _Black_. For one thing, because of the aforementioned friendship, Remus probably hated her and for another, Black would flip if he found out. And Adie was most studiously avoiding that happening.

And so the tense silence wore on, both parties studying quietly and flicking wary glances when the other wasn't looking.

It had been almost a month since Adrianna and Sirius's fight and the Hogwarts's gossip mill had found new topics to debate.

It was February now and, as ever, McGonagall was piling on the pressure before the students had the chance to slack over the half-term holiday they took in a weeks' time.

This essay is an absolute _killer_, Adie thought to herself. Usually she had no problem with Transfiguration - it was Herbology that she really struggled with. However, this particular task from Minevra was making Adrianna positively long be doing a diagram of a Mandrake. Anything but this torture, Adie groaned mentally as she slumped across the desk.

Her gesture of woe and agony accidentally upended her textbooks, scattering them across the library floor. Remus's head shot up at the sudden noise.

"My God, you scared me Adrianna." He murmured, grinning at his shock.

Adie turned her head slowly, still spread across her parchment in despair. Had he just initiated the contact? She sent one of her thousand-watt beams in his direction, so thankful that the awkward silence had been broken.

"Ah, sorry, Remus… It's just this _essay_." The girl gestured angrily at the papers on her desk, sitting up. The Gryffindor chuckled ruefully.

"Yup, it's got me too; trust McGonagall to set something like this a week before the holidays."

"Yeah, bloody slave driver. But I so want to get all my work done before Christmas…"

Remus laughed again, a more confident sound this time. "I would point out how similar we are in our work habits but I suppose _that's_ kind of obvious!"

Adrianna smiled happily again. She'd known Remus was nice, it was just the pull of that bastard Black keeping poor Rems from befriending her. Yes, she'd already nicknamed him – there was no turning back for him now…

"Hey, Remus, why don't we work on it together? Two heads being better than one, and all," Adie suggested. "And we are, like, top of the class – together we can beat this thing!" She ended her offer mock-melodramatically, complete with a fist slam on the table for emphasis.

Remus Lupin thought for a moment. Sirius would go _mental_ if he saw his best mate studying with Adrianna and Sirius did have quite the fearsome temper. But, she seemed so nice; Remus reflected, looking at her placid smile and freckles.

None of the Marauders really understood the deep dislike between Greengrass and Black. They thought they should surely be natural allies. But perhaps it was the way that Adie seemed to have the ability to hover fairly comfortably between the two warring houses that infuriated Sirius, who had had to make a choice.

Remus noted that he'd just mentally referred to her as Adie; only her Gryff friends called her that… No going back now, Remus, he thought to himself.

"That sounds like a great idea."

They finished the essay together and as they left, they arranged to meet tomorrow. Remus would help Adie with her Herbology if she explained the charm they'd covered in Flitwick's last class. He'd been ill and none of his mates could provide any decent notes…

When the week's break began (students did not return home for the shorter breaks), Lily and Emmeline managed to persuade Adie to take a break also from her studies.

In truth, she didn't actually have any work to do but she knew that it would be very difficult to meet Remus away from the library.

Adrianna had grown, even just in the short space of time that she'd really know him, to immensely enjoy the company of Remus Lupin. He was an easy guy to like; intelligent and witty, funny and kind. He and Adie got on very well with their shared love of all things slightly geeky.

She decided it was common manners to inform him that she wouldn't be at their study sessions next week; they'd become so regular that it would be quite rude not to turn up.

_Rems,_

_Sorry, I won't be in the library during the next week. Lils and Em have positively _forced_ me to take a break from studying (read: do _their _essays for _them_)! See you in a week's time for class/studying._

_Adie x_

She sent the note up in the Owlery, watching her tawny owl swoop round the castle towards the Gryffindor tower.

She really was so glad they were friends but maybe it was that she prized her time with Remus so much because she knew it was limited. Adie couldn't imagine him standing up to his friend, not for the sake of such a short 'thing' (Adie wasn't sure if her and Remus counted as' friends' just yet).

Because Adie knew that once Black found out, there'd be Hell to pay.

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><p><strong><span>AN:** Sorry for the wait! I've been absolutely swamped with exams recently but they are finishing up now, so hopefully I should be churning the chapters out quickly again.

Thanks so much to everyone who's subscribe/favourited the story.

Reviews are, as ever, _the best thing in the whooole wide world!_ Thank you :)))

Elle x


	6. Chapter 6: Answers

**A/N:** The incredible Potterverse belongs solely to the godess that is JK Rowling!

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><p><strong>Chapter 6:<strong>

His friends were dancing around him and chanting some sort of celebratory song about the start holidays; he winced as he heard Sirius shouting something about "a little Firewhiskey" later on.

Luckily, it wasn't unusual for Remus not to join in with his mates' silly behaviour or else someone might have asked him what was wrong. The thing was that Remus wasn't looking forward to this week as much as everyone else.

They'd only been friends for about a week (and one could only just about justify the use of the term 'friends') but Remus liked Adie an awful lot. They had gotten on exceedingly well in the past week. She was a likeable, social and warm girl and Remus couldn't help but think that Sirius's hatred of her was completely unjust.

The quiet boy paused for a minute, assessing his feelings. He knew what Sirius would accuse him of and how James would wiggle his eyebrows like a vaudeville villain if either of them heard him say something like that. But Remus didn't _fancy_ her, Merlin no.

That was the problem with most people – if you're friends with a member of the opposite gender, then you surely must be secretly in love with one another. On the contrary, Remus had always held something of a special place in his heart for Alice Prewett in the year above but she'd recently started dating Frank Longbottom much to Moony's chagrin.

Anyway, the thought of the holidays didn't fill Remus with much joy as the rest of the Marauders as he knew he'd hardly be able to see his new found friend. If only, he thought wistfully, there wasn't so much irrational prejudice between the Houses.

He looked up as his friends broke off their chant, interrupted by a tapping at the window. An owl was perched on the windowsill, a scroll of parchment by its talons. A Fourth-Year boy let it in where it proceeded to flutter across the room to Moony's armchair.

He grabbed the note from the owl and the majority of the Common Room resumed their activities. His friends watched him curiously.

It was a note from Adrianna explaining that, as he had expected, she would not be able to make it to the library during the holidays. Well, it was very polite of her to have written, Remus thought. He assumed it was the raising of her strict family - the pure-blood lot always seemed very formal. Sirius being the perpetual exception to that rule, of course.

_Adie,_

_That's quite alright – I don't think I'll be able to make it either. James is full of pranks for this week… I know, it sounds horribly ominous. Thanks for writing me, see you in a week._

_Remus._

"Hey, hey, who's the letter from, Moons?"

"Is it a lurve letter?"

"From your secret _girlfriend_?"

Remus sighed as Adie's bird flew through the still open window to return his response. He paused, allowing his friends to continue their jibes for a moment whilst he weighed up the pros and cons of telling them the truth about the note. It might be somewhat less scandalous, he thought, to pretend he did have a secret lover…

The Marauder's settled down somewhat, seating themselves by their wolfy friend, ceasing their teasing and waiting for his to spill. He'd tell them the truth, poor Moony couldn't lie to save his life.

"No, it is most certainly _not_ from a 'secret girlfriend'." Remus spoke the term with some derision.

Peter nodded "Yeah, you still have a thing for Alice right?"

James and Sirius crowed at this, elbowing each other stupidly.

"Huh, well, not much point in _that_ anymore is there?" Moony couldn't keep a note of slight bitterness out of his voice; Sirius patted him consolingly on the shoulder.

"It's alright mate, I don't think you had much of a chance with her anyway."

James sighed exasperatedly at his best mate's lack of tact. Remus just rolled his eyes; he didn't dare make any comment about Sirius's immaturity when he knew how much his next announcement would anger his friend.

"Nah, it was just a note from Adie to tell me she wouldn't be studying next week," he tried to sound as nonchalant as possible as he said this but he mentally kicked himself for referring to her as 'Adie'. He could already see Sirius clenching his jaw angrily.

James looked round the group warily. "Adie as in Adrianna?" He enquired tentatively.

Remus nodded, maintaining his offhand façade. James and Peter exchanged a glance of something quite akin to terror in anticipation of Sirius's reaction.

"Oh," Sirius began in a falsely sweet voice. "You mean, Adie as in Adrianna Greengrass, the poisonous bitch that tried to knock me off my broom?"

Remus huffed indignantly; Sirius was really very unfair to Adie. He voiced this opinion much to the disgust of his friend.

"Sirius, it wasn't exactly uncalled for – you did smack a Bludger at her back."

"Are you sticking up for _her_ over _me_?" Sirius looked genuinely shocked and hurt by this. "Jesus, she must have put a hex on you or something… Or did you finally lose the big V to her? 'Cause that really doesn't indebt you to her, Rems."

Remus slumped in his seat, shaking his head.

"I'm not in some sort of… _sexual relationship_ with her," he spluttered. "We are friends – no, Sirius, don't start, okay? She's a nice girl and your hatred of her is beyond me. It seems irrational and unfair."

Sirius opened his mouth to shout at his best friend some more, Remus tensed himself for the coming onslaught. However instead of beginning an angry tirade, Sirius sat down on the arm of Remus's chair and sighed.

"I know you don't get why I dislike her so much, I know none of you do," He looked round his group of friends, preparing himself to try and articulate his feelings – something he'd never been terribly good at.

"Adrianna Greengrass is from a pure-blood family; a family who think 'Magic is Might' and think they're better than everyone else. A family like mine."

Sirius saw Remus about to counter his point, argue with him for the girl but he waved him away. He wanted to say everything he had to say before the fighting began again.

"But Adrianna is _not like me_. She is a Slytherin. I never mentioned that before, when I was describing those people because I know as well as anyone that your family does not define you.

But that Hat Sorted her in with the rest of them. It _saw_ her and it saw that she was no different from them."

Sirius paused once more, running his hands through his hair, frustrated.

"She can act all sunny and lovely but deep down she _is_ just one of them and at the end of the day, she'll be the Narcissa Black to someone as evil as Lucius Malfoy."

There was a still sort of silence between the four boys. James nodded slowly at his best friend; Peter gazed pensively into the fire.

"I… understand where your views are coming from, Sirius," Remus spoke the words carefully and diplomatically. "And I may not know her well, but you don't know her at all. And so I shall take my chances in friendship with her. It's nothing against you, I promise you Padfoot."

Sirius nodded at the wolf. "I get it, man. But, you know, I think you're making a bad decision. When her husband's in the Prophet for Muggle torture or something, and she's defending him – it'll hurt you."

They all hoped it would never come to that.

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><p><strong><span>AN**: Right, sorry guys, I know you had to wait a while for this! If you ever want writing updates, please visit my tumblr .com - you don't need tumblr to view/ask questions so I'm always contactable :)

Please take to review - reviewers are totally awesome!

Thanks,

Elle xo


	7. Chapter 7: Tranfiguration Angst

**A/N:** The beautiful Potterverse is the creative property of Ms. JK Rowling alone!

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><p><strong>Chapter 7:<strong>

The holidays passed without much fuss or particular fanfare: James managed to carry out his prank (it involved several jars of frogspawn and some very unsuspecting First Years) resulting in him getting three severe telling-offs (one from Professor McGonagall and two from Lily) plus a week's worth of detentions; Adie and Remus bumped into each other one afternoon and spent a very pleasant hour discussing a book they had both picked up on the goblin wars and Adie managed to spend very little time in the Slytherin Common Room and an almost excessive amount of time by the lake with Lily and Emmeline, which suited her greatly.

Sirius seemed to have accepted the fact that Remus and Adrianna were friends although when Remus mentioned having spoken to her, Sirius did appear to mutter "Just you wait, Lupes". James would shake his head wisely whenever Sirius warned Remus against the friendship. Peter just appeared to find the whole situation very uncomfortable.

The first lesson after their break was Gryffindor/Slytherin Transfiguration, period one on Monday. Remus was careful to make sure he had packed the essay he and Adie had worked on before he set off to breakfast; McGonagall would flip if anyone had dared to defy her request and had failed to complete their work.

"How _dare_ you defy the _direct_ request of a professor and _fail_ to complete your holiday work?" Her voice was dangerously calm as she spoke the words but her nostrils flared, giving her true rage away. Even Sirius dared not make an amusing quip or invent some ridiculous excuse for his lack of essay.

Almost half the class had failed to turn the assignment in and Minevra was not happy.

"Perhaps you'll find it easier to work _away_ from the distractions of your friends? Get out of your seats - I'll decide where you'll be seated for the rest of the year."

The heavy wooden desks of McGonagall's classroom seated two and she got her revenge on the lazy class by pairing them Gryffindor student with Slytherin. The class had naturally divided with the Snakes on one side and the Lions on the other.

There was a moment of considerable tension in the class as McGonagall picked Adrianna out of the crowd; Remus and Lily had both been paired off already. Adie groaned as her teacher went beckoned towards Sirius Black.

I give us one week before both or either of us is in the Hospital Wing, she thought ominously.

However, as Sirius stepped forwards with a grim scowl on his face, Professor McGonagall stopped him.

"Not you, Black," She said curtly. "Mr Potter, you and Miss Greengrass will be sitting right there, if you please."

She indicated a desk in the centre of the room and the two teens seated themselves rather reluctantly. Lily shot her best friend a very sympathetic look.

Adie shifted uncomfortably in her new seat as McGonagall finally began the lesson, talking about Vanishing spells. Adie knew they were supposed to be complex and she really was trying to pay attention and takes notes but it was rather hard with James's angry glare practically boring a hole in the side of her head.

Oh, screw it, I'll just copy Remus's notes, she thought as she turned to face the disgruntled, messy haired boy.

"What's up, Potter?" she hissed, automatically feeling her levels of Slytherin rise.

James held Adie's gaze although her usually smiling blue eyes had turned quite icy and threatening. "Nothing, you know, just _loving_ sitting next to the crazy girl that hates my best friend and almost knocked him off his broom a few months ago."

Adie rolled her eyes; sarcasm really didn't suit James Potter. "Well it just shows how much you know, Potter. You got that entirely backwards. For starters, it's your mate Black who has the irrational hatred of me and it was him who hit a Bludger at me after the match had ended."

There was a moment of silence after Adrianna said this as both students quickly glanced to the front of the room to ensure McGonagall had not noticed their whispered conversation. Adie could not resist adding a childish but truthful statement, "He started it!"

James bit back a smile at this comment, looking at Adrianna slightly differently. She certainly didn't look like the others with her honey hair pushed back of her face with a blue headband, she looked almost… sweet. Especially with the way she was pouting childishly at the thought of Sirius and his unfair antics.

James almost shuddered as he realised he'd just been thinking about Greengrass in an almost _sympathetic_ manner. Sirius was right; just because she didn't look like your typical elitist witch, just because she didn't always act like one, it didn't mean that she wouldn't end up like all the rest of them.

It would be the people like Lily and Remus who'd allowed themselves to believe she was different that would get hurt and betrayed.

James knew all this because of how close he and Sirius were; he was the only one who was allowed even the smallest of glimpses into Sirius's very private family life. His best friend had been hurt so many times by his family. He'd convinced himself that they weren't as bad as the others, that they cared and that they wouldn't do the same awful things. But they always did.

Sirius had been so close to Bellatrix when he was young; he couldn't ever explain to his friend how it felt to see her years later performing the Cruciatus curse on an innocent, harmless Muggle but James could sense the pain in his voice whenever he spoke about his formative years with the older girl.

And that was why James stopped thinking about Adrianna as anything like 'innocent' or 'sweet'.

"Seriously, Adrianna," James began speaking wearily. Adie looked at him cautiously, wary of this new tone of voice he had adopted. "You are just like them. I don't know why you can't understand it and _accept_ it. It'd just be easier for everyone, seriously. God, I never had you down as so stupid, Greengrass."

He turned back to the front of the classroom and started to take notes in earnest; he resolved in that moment not to try and gauge her reaction to his little speech.

In fact, her reaction was utter shock. Although she had heard similar many times before from her sister, parents, Cissy, Reg, Lucius and so many others, this time it resonated with her far more deeply. To hear such a judgement from someone who barely knew her and someone that she had always thought seemed like a nice and good person had unsettled Adie.

Neither one of the pair realised that Lily had been quietly observing the tiff and as Adrianna sped out of the classroom the second the lesson ended, the redhead sidled up to James.

He looked surprised to see Lily approach him; he couldn't remember a single time that she'd ever started a conversation with him. As she got closer, however, he recognised a certain steely glint in her eye – she was preparing for verbal combat.

"Potter, don't you _dare_ ever speak to any of my friends like that ever again. I understand that you're taking Black's side in this dispute he and Adie have going but there's no need to say awful things like that," Lily had spoken calmly and quietly, without pausing for breath. She looked James straight in the eye before continuing.

"You do not know her, you cannot judge her, and she is _not_ like them. If she ends up marrying a Muggle-born hating elitist then I will not be hurt, it's not her decision! You just know nothing, James! Does it really mean nothing to you that both Remus and I adore her? You're an imbecile, Potter. Just don't try speaking to either of us again."

Lily's quiet and calm phase had not lasted long and by the end of her tirade her screeching was almost on a par with that of a banshee. She stalked away from James in a rage to catch up with the subject of their rather one-sided argument.

James just stood there; so he would just ignore Greengrass from now on. Although, he thought wryly, the fact that she was another reason why he was in Lily's bad books definitely didn't score her any brownie points…

* * *

><p><strong><span>AN:** Look at me being on a roll and all! Thanks for reading, hope y'all enjoyed this chapter.

Next chapter will involve some MORE angry Sirius (I promise he gets better in a few chapters!) and some Marauders and Adie lovin'.

Please review because they make me very happy and do encourage me to write faster, which is for sure a good thing! Thanks :)

Elle xx


	8. Chapter 8: Calm Before The Storm

**Chapter 8:**

Sirius hadn't exactly watched James and Greengrass's fight with pleasure however he had been happy to note that his best friend wasn't about swan off into the sunset with her, exulting her as he went as Remus seemed so inclined to do.

Despite these initial fears being allayed, he could not help but to continue to stare at the pair in the Charms lessons that followed in the next couple of months. McGonagall had stuck to her word and refused to allow anyone to move back to their original seats, much to the class's dismay.

However, the two stayed silent, both ignoring the other in an attempt not to have another confrontation. Adrianna kept her head down, taking copious notes and shielding herself from James by keeping a curtain of honey hair between them. James, of course, did not spend his time taking notes but rather fidgeting and doodling and staring at Lily.

"Mr Black, if you could turn your eyes towards _me_ and away from Miss Greengrass, that would be much appreciated." McGonagall's clipped tones interrupted both of their reveries.

Adie's head snapped up in confusion to stare at her teacher and Sirius turned away from the girl, clenching his jaw as people snickered quietly. He made a resolution not to stare quite so much next lesson; James seemed to be fending off Greengrass quite admirably without Sirius's help.

So the next lesson he did not glance over at their table at all. James left the classroom as usual, did not discuss Adrianna as usual; overall he acted very normally. And so Sirius relaxed and actually focused on McGonagall's lectures for the first time since February (he immediately remembered why he hadn't been worried about his lack of attention in class; this stuff was _easy_).

However, as normally as James was acting, he and Adie had recently broken their pact of silence. Things between them were starting to change and James couldn't stop it.

They class had been instructed by McGonagall to turn the kittens they been given into cushions. It was an example of the type of practical they could get in their OWLs and she would be grading them accordingly; extra points for the prettiness of the cushion.

Adrianna managed to change her kitten on her third attempt, earning Slytherin ten House points. Left with the rest of the lesson with nothing else to do, she decided to carry on enchanting the little animal, trying to make the pattern on the cushion more intricate. Hopefully, she'd get an O on this assignment.

The girl had been repeating the spell for fifteen minutes when she was distracted by James Potter's growl of frustration. It appeared that he had managed to Transfigure up a cushion, however, it still had tiny little kitten legs…

Adrianna couldn't help but giggle slightly at the sight of the absurd creature as it scuttled across their desk. To her surprise, James burst out laughing too. They both looked at each other in surprise but neither stopped chuckling.

"It, um, it looks fucking stupid doesn't it?" James gestured almost helplessly at the kitten-cushion. He had no idea why he was engaging her in conversation; he genuinely didn't like her, he honestly believed that Sirius was right about her. And yet he couldn't stop laughing with her.

She giggled. "It's an appalling excuse for a Transfiguration!" Adrianna waved her wand at the cushion and the tabby kitten appeared once more in front of James.

Adie contemplated the cat for a moment before turning to James. "You ought to be more forceful with your wand movements. Transfigurations are often incomplete because the witch or wizard was too hesitant."

James tried the incantation again with far more success; now the cushion looked far more normal, except for the whiskers.

"Thanks, Adie." James grinned at her while ruffling his hair, pleased with his success. He stopped, one hand still in his mess of hair. He had just called her 'Adie'.

Merlin, Sirius is going to murder me, James thought.

Fortunately for James, the bell rung and he was given a perfect opportunity to flee from Adrianna and her irresistible charm. He was also rather grateful for the fact that it was Friday which meant he wouldn't have to endure Charms for another four days when Tuesday arrived.

As the weekend passed, James largely forgot the fact that he and Adrianna had shared that odd moment of camaraderie in class. His only reminder was when Remus cut short their game of chess to go and meet the Slytherin; James hoped she wouldn't mention the encounter as he was planning to continue ignoring her come Tuesday. That shared laugh had been a mistake, he decided.

The next week he entered the Transfiguration classroom, purposefully avoiding her eye and was pleased to note that she didn't attempt to initiate any contact either. Hopefully, James thought, this will just be forgotten.

All these hopes were abandoned, however, as McGonagall glided up to the pair.

"I see that both of you have managed to successfully Transfigure your kittens, well done. I'm not surprised, I seated you two together as two of my best students."

Both Adie and James smiled uncomfortably at the compliment.

"As both of you are finished with the work, perhaps you'd like to attempt some _human_ Transfiguration?" She smiled at the pupils as if she had bestowed upon them a huge gift.

Both just reached mutely for their textbooks and began to flick to the necessary page.

"As this is a 6th Year level piece of spell work, you two should probably work together. Also, please do not attempt these incantations _with_ wands just yet. Immerse yourself in the theory first!"

James had to resist the very strong urge to slam his head against the desk; this was exactly why he never concentrated in class! It led to _extra-work_.

Adie was equally horrified by the prospect of having to partner James. She'd been dreading coming face-to-face with a very angry Sirius all weekend. She had to assume that somehow Black hadn't seen the incredibly unsettling exchange…

She turned to face James. They'd both just be cool and professional and it'd all be fine. Adrianna worked at masking her face with a neutral smile and was relieve to see James do the same when-

She assumed his elbow must have slipped from where he'd rested it on the desk. The sudden lack of grip on a firm surface sent him falling suddenly off his chair and under the table, his cool façade ruined.

Adrianna gritted her teeth, determined not to laugh and have a repeat of last week's incident. She leant over and peered under the desk at where the Gryffindor lay in a heap.

"I'm fine." He mumbled but as he sat up his head smacked against the underside of the desk. Adrianna dissolved into infectious giggles; she couldn't possibly stop once she saw the look of dazed confusion on James's face.

He, in return, bit his lip and desperately tried not to join in her laughter. Adrianna had an addictive sort of personality; you just couldn't help being attracted to her although not in a romantic way. James knew what Remus meant now.

She was just so sunny and warm and friendly. She was incredibly likeable, not anything mind-blowing but just a very nice girl. James supposed that Adie didn't have had such a profound effect on everyone she met but for him and Remus, she was so far removed from everything they thought she would be.

Yes, James still knew she'd probably marry some future Death Eater and never be able to speak to him or Remus or Lily ever again but what was the point in hating her during the short stretch of freedom she had now? Lily was right; Adie didn't have any choice in the matter.

He grinned back at her and joined in her laughter loudly. Inside he felt bad, knowing that he and Sirius would probably come to blows over this and they so rarely fought but he was resolved in this matter. He was cool with hating on Severus and Narcissa and Lucius – they were creepy and nasty people who had no problem with following in their parents footsteps. However, Adie did not deserve to be tarred with the same Slytherin brush.

As he sat himself back up, James began to talk to the girl; he was just making light conversation as he would with anyone else. She smiled at his chattering but didn't join in.

"Sirius will kill you, and then me. You don't have to talk to me if you don't want. I don't mind!" The Slytherin pulled a face and grinned.

James sighed. "Nah, look. You seem alright; sure, you'll probably end up like the rest of them one day but you're not a horrendous, elitist freak yet so I figure we can get along civilly."

"Why, Mr Potter," Adie laughed. "That might be the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me!"

Oh Godric, what have I done now, James thought in despair as he noticed Lily sidling up to him after the lesson. However, as the redhead reached him something _very_ unusual happened: she smiled widely at him, genuine for once.

Today really was an odd day.

"You and Adie were chatting and laughing again."

"Yes."

"That's good."

"Yep, you were," James cleared his throat. "right about her."

Lily grinned delightedly at James and he felt his stomach swirl slightly. "So there _is_ a functioning brain up there after all!" She laughed and rapped him on the head before walking off quickly, still chuckling. James grinned.

His grin lasted all the way through the Entrance Hall, up the stairs and into the Common Room where his friends sat. Here, James's felicity left him.

Remus was sat on the sofa, his eyes cast downwards and his mouth a tight line. Peter was cracking his knuckles. Sirius was folding a piece of parchment absentmindedly. They all looked up at James as he entered the room.

"Guys." Sirius spoke and the others waited. "I'm not going to flip my shit, don't worry. I've said my piece and it's up to you if you want to let yourself be taken in by her. I've had far too much experience of people like that and being hurt by them so excuse me if I _don't_ become her new best friend. But if you three want to be mates with Greengrass, go ahead."

His voice was calm, and James believed that Sirius would not obstruct the new friendships. However he knew his best friend well enough to realise that despite his calm façade, there would be trouble ahead.

* * *

><p><strong><span>AN (please read!):** Okay. So, Adie is in with the majority of the Marauders (Pete will go along with whatever James does!) which means Adrianna and Sirius will be interacting a lot more!

I'm sorry for the wait between these past two chapters, I had a lot of difficulty writing this. However, from now on pretty much every chapter is soley about Adrianna and Sirius's developing relationship which should be a lot easier to write.

**Unfortunately** I'm on holiday for the next two weeks so there will be _no_ updates in that time. I will try to do one within a couple of days of returning because I'm going to try and write while I'm away. If you feel withdrawals try reading some of my other fics! Or try Fuel to the Fire by PleaOfInsanity _or_ Commentarius by BCDaily _or_ October Twilight by the_heatherbee (my 3 fav. fanfics!).

As I'm going to be away for so long here's what you can expect, coming up soon!:  
>- A confrontation between Sirius and Adrianna - again!<br>- A shocking confession made to Adie from Remus.  
>- Adrianna gets into a dangerous situation and has an unlikely hero...<p>

Thanks as ever for reading and reviews are actually the best thing on this planet - they help my writing process a lot too!

Elle xox


	9. Chapter 9: Wrong First Impressions?

**Chapter 9:**

"You know the one amenity that Hogwarts really lacks?" Lily pondered as she and her friends wandered aimlessly through the castle's twisting corridors. "We need a neutral place for the different Houses mix."

Em concurred with Lily's idea; the trio were often stuck for places to hang out as Adrianna could never enter the Gryffindor Common Room and vice versa. The Library didn't allow for much gossiping and for the majority of the school year, it was far too cold to sit by the Lake.

Emmeline began suggesting where this 'inter-House Common Room' could be while Adie just laughed. "That's because, for the most part, the Houses _don't_ mix."

Diana Cress, ambling along with the other girls, raised one eyebrow mischievously.

"Well, you're mates with us aren't you?" She grinned at Adie. "Em here's a Ravenclaw too…"

The lone Slytherin shrugged; she hadn't really been referring to mingling between three of the Houses and nor had Lily. Both had instead been thinking of the solitary Slytherin House.

Diana continued to grin smugly at her friend. "And of course, now you're BFFs with the Marauders too!"

The other girls could sense that this was the topic Di had been waiting to hear all about – Adie's new friends. However, the girl just smiled complacently. In the past few weeks, James, Peter and Adrianna had become quite good friends. She loved being able to hang out with Remus and his friends; Sirius just seemed to be steering clear, not saying anything although the look on his face made his feelings very clear.

The thing was that she'd never really had male friends before. Adie had no problem befriending the girls of Hogwarts but the guys, on the other hand, seemed far less inclined towards House integration and there were certainly no friends to be made in her House.

Adie didn't much desire any interaction with her fellow Slytherin boys and, fortunately, not much was granted. The House (and elitist pure-blood families in general) still tended to be very gender-split; Adie often felt as though 'her kind' were about a century behind the rest of the wizarding world. The boys and girls rarely interacted but to 'court' so to speak. It was your parents who had the ultimate say in whether your match was 'suitable' or not. Half the time, marriages were arranged. Adrianna thought, with a pang, of Narcissa Black who was doomed to her existence as a MalfoyHou.

As it so happened, James was thinking about his new friend too. He was hanging around in the Gryffindor Common Room, bored pretty much to death; Remus was studying, Sirius had detention and Peter was off flirting with some 4th Year girl.

If only Sirius was here, James thought mournfully, we could have chucked a Quaffle around on the pitch. He stared forlornly out of the window at his favourite place at Hogwarts. However, he knew his best mate would have been more likely to want to smack a Bludger around instead, the bloody Beater.

Suddenly it hit him; Adrianna! She was a Chaser too and they'd never had a chance to play their favourite sport together as opposed to against one another.

So he raced up to his dorm to grab his kit and broom before hurtling through the castle to try and find Adie. He found her perched on a windowsill in the Entrance Hall with Emmeline Vance, Diana Cress and the incredible Evans.

James skidded to a halt in front of the group of girls, grinning at the two blondes before nodding to Lily. "Come on Greengrass, let's go play some Quidditch!"

Adrianna laughed "I wasn't aware we'd made any plans for today?"

"But I was bored!" James's whinge bought a smile to all the girls' faces although Lily was quick to hide her smirk of amusement.

Adie turned to the other girls, about to ask their permission to leave but Diana, reading her mind and hoping for some gossip later, just said "Off you go then, Adie, see you later!"

The pair headed for the pitch in radiant moods; both were entirely obsessed with Quidditch. Just playing the game, watching a match or simply talking about the sport could completely take their day from bad to good.

James and Adie chatted game-talk mindlessly to each other until they reached the changing rooms; they both slipped into their respective team kits with lightning speed, eager to reach the pitch.

It was utterly incomparable, Adie thought, the feeling of the wind rushing through your hair. It was even better on days like this when the April breeze still had that knife edge of coldness to it. She sighed in pleasure as the air raked her scalp and she wheeled through the sky.

After a few minutes of both teenagers silently swooping round the stadium, they began to chuck the Quaffle to each other. James and Adie exchanged a grin, both knowing that the other was feeling exactly the same. Both of them were relishing the feel of the rough, worn material of the Quaffle in their hands.

The pair began their practise fairly slowly, unfamiliar with the techniques of the other player. However as the day wore on, the throws got faster and harder and the moves altogether more complicated until they were a blur of red and green against the dusky sky.

They worked together so fluently, never needing to communicate but instinctively knowing what the other person was going to do next. James was barely even thinking about what he was doing; he was just switching to autopilot, knowing that Adie would respond. He knew he would sound big-headed and knew the face Lily would pull if he ever spoke the thought out-loud but, it was nice to be playing with someone who was equally as talented as him in Quidditch…

Sirius bounded into the Common Room fresh from his gruelling detention expecting to find his best mate waiting for him. He'd picked out his favourite bits of banter that had occurred between him and McGonagall to relay back to James and was severely disappointed only to find Peter waiting for him, looking downhearted and muttering about some girl.

"Hey Pete, just cheer up! There's plenty more fish in the sea," Sirius said vaguely, patting his friend condescendingly on the head before asking the question he actually cared about. "Say, you don't know where Prongs is at, do you?"

Peter perked up, pleased at being able to help his friend out. "Yeah, he mumbled something about the Quidditch pitch before he sped off."

Sirius grinned; he thought he had heard James mention something about the two of them training together later. They had fortunately managed to catch up on points since the Slytherin vs. Gryffindor fiasco but they'd still have to work hard if they wanted to beat their arch-nemeses in the Cup final.

So Sirius headed out of the castle and down the sloping grounds towards the familiar pitch. However, the friendly greeting Sirius was preparing to call, as he spotted James's silhouette above the stands, died on his lips.

He paused, watching as another shadowy figure joined the messy-haired outline; this person was far more slender, Sirius could see, despite the bulky Quidditch uniform she sported. Her long hair flew behind her in the breeze. Although the figure was just a silhouette and although he was still many metres away, Sirius knew exactly what colour that hair was and exactly who James had replaced him with.

So as he marched towards the Quidditch pitch in a fit of rage, it was not the colour red that clouded his vision but a golden honey instead.

James and Adrianna both whirled round as they heard the large double doors leading back into the changing rooms slam open. James felt his heart sink like a stone as he saw the look on Sirius's face. Adie had to strongly resist the urge just to turn her broom around and fly away as quickly as possible.

"Hey, _James_," Sirius's voice bellowed out around the empty stadium, full of forced cheer. "How about that quick game of one-on-one Quidditch you suggested we have after my det? Oh, wait…" The angry teenager pretend that he'd just noticed Adie hovering uncomfortably next to James.

James flew down, swinging off his broom to talk to his friend. "Look, mate, it's no big deal." James started. "Everyone was busy so Adie and I decided to chuck the Quaffle around for a bit. There's no need to get pissy, just leave Adie alone."

Sirius sighed in frustration, throwing his hands up angrily. He'd tried to just 'leave her alone' and if he was being honest, he really didn't want to fight with her; there was just something about Adrianna Greengrass that made his blood boil and do things he knew he'd regret, stupid things.

"It is a big deal, when my best mate decides to replace me with _her_." He spat the word out, not wanting to even say her name. Sirius opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to articulate his rage while a small part of his brain was telling him how irrational he was being.

James was about to try and reason with Sirius when he noticed that Adie too had joined him on the springy turf of the pitch. She had a steely glint in her pale eyes and her jaw was set firmly.

"Fine, fine – I'll leave you two to have it out. Just don't either of you come running to me if you end up in the Hospital Wing." James murmured before fleeing to the changing rooms, knowing he was powerless to stop the oncoming fight.

"_Her_? I do have a name, you know, Black." Adrianna spoke in a falsely sweet voice, purposely keeping her tone light and full of suppressed laughter.

Sirius's thunderously dark tone of voice couldn't have been more different from hers as he said. "Yeah, you have a name: Greengrass. Your family's one of the richest and darkest pure-blood families. Merlin! Just accept that that's who you are and stop pissing around with my friends. You'll only hurt them."

"Black, you know _nothing_ about me." Now there was a biting edge of hardness in Adie's voice as she snapped at the dark-haired boy in front of her.

He laughed harshly and she felt her fist clench tightly around her wand. "Well, you're a Black! Richer and darker than _my_ family – how come it's okay for you to have nice friends and live this completely separate life full of pranks and fun but I'm forced to endure all of that _shit_?" Adrianna throat hurt from screaming the words at him. "You think I want that? Lucius fucking Malfoy and the rest of those creeps, Bellatrix – oh God! I hate them and I hate it all."

Sirius was only swayed by this outburst for a sliver of a second. "Oh yeah? You know how I can tell that's not true, how come you're different from me?" He paused and grinned triumphantly at his adversary. "You're a Slytherin. The Sorting Hat, the one that looks deep into your brain to find out who you really are, decided that _you_ were a Slytherin."

Adrianna's face paled. There was nothing she could say to him and he knew it. The details of her Sorting were all a blur to her, all she could remember was that rush of joy when she was sent to that Slytherin table. She remembered hearing the Hat yell out 'Gryffindor!' for Sirius.

Sirius went to walk past her in a blaze of triumph and glory but paused just for a second as he went, to hiss in her ear "And tell me this, Greengrass, what wouldn't you do to please your nasty, evil parents? Pathetic."

Adrianna felt her muscles contract painfully with the effort of not crying there and then. Instead she forced herself to do something she knew she'd regret, but she could _not_ let him have the last word.

She pulled the cool, cruel mask of Slytherin indifference over her face, feeling her eyes go hard with anger.

"You can try to act like it doesn't hurt Black, but how many nights have you spent crying because you know they all despise you?" Adrianna felt like she was hearing the words from afar, barely believing that she could be saying something so hurtful. "I mean really, Black, tell me because I'd love to know – how _does_ it feel to know that even your own mother hates you?"

She saw the pain flash across Sirius's face; she had hit a nerve, just like she knew she would. Adrianna felt like being sick but the disgust she felt for herself did not show on her face; the Slytherin mask would not move and she felt a wave of panic that she'd be doomed to an existence of cold neutrality for the rest of her life just like Cissy.

"I told you so, Slytherin through and through." Sirius whispered before practically sprinting away from Adie.

The second he turned his face from hers, Adrianna felt her composed mask crumble away until she too was standing, desolately in the middle of the pitch fighting off the tears.

She had returned from the Quidditch pitch so late that everyone else was already asleep when she finally did arrive back to the Common Room. The next morning she huddled in bed, letting everyone else go to breakfast before getting up.

It was a Sunday and was therefore, lesson free. Adrianna was incredibly grateful for that as Sirius happened to be in a lot of her lessons. With any luck, she would just spend a peaceful day with Narcissa and Regulus and she could forget all about that awful fight.

Unfortunately, Adrianna had forgotten about the incredible speed with which gossip travelled round the school.

"Well, well, well Ms Greengrass," Lucius said in his familiarly smooth voice as he entered the Common Room with the rest of his followers. "I hear congratulations are in order."

The blonde looked up in confusion at Malfoy, noticing Regulus shooting her an odd look. She shrugged briefly at her friend before expressing her lack of comprehension to Lucius.

He chuckled. "Perhaps the gossip mill is wrong then, but I had heard that you and Mr Black had another particularly nasty spat last night."

Adie's stomach began to twist nervously. This is what she had dreaded most; their pleasure in her cruel words only confirmed to Adrianna further that she was one of those awful Slytherins.

"And I heard you utterly bested him. Rather unusually sharp words for you Adrianna, _if_ what I heard was true of course… Nevertheless, I'm very proud."

He was _proud_ of her? The thought made Adrianna feel even more nauseous than she had done last night which was what made up mind about what she should do next.

She wavered in her decision for a second; the hatred and casual abuse from her House had increased since becoming friends with Remus, James and Peter. She found herself stumbling downstairs far more often after a crafty Tripping Jinx was sent her way; Bellatrix Lestrange never let a day go past where she didn't shove or subtly hit Adrianna somehow.

But she'd rather endure ten times that amount of hate than ever accept their pride in her.

Adrianna stood up firmly and looked Lucius in the eye. "You're right, those words _were _very harsh and I've been feeling awful about the whole incident. So, I'm off to apologise to Bl- to Sirius."

She grinned at Lucius before flouncing out of the door, ignoring Narcissa warning glare and Reg's sigh of exasperation.

Once she had left the Common Room and ensured that no one had come after her, Adie suddenly realised she had no clue where one could find Sirius Black. Probably in a broom closet somewhere, Adie thought with disdain.

Instead of ransacking the closets of Hogwarts, Adrianna decided to wait by the Fat Lady until one of her friends came out who would be able to point her in Mr Black's direction. She settled on the banister by the portrait leading to the Gryffindor Common Room preparing for something of a long wait.

It was only half an hour later that the canvas swung off the wall and Adie was horrified, relieved and nervous in equal parts to see the Marauders, all four of them.

Her friends amongst the group all looked terrified to see her; Adrianna could see that James thought she was here for round two and she almost giggled to watch him try to turn Sirius around, hoping he wouldn't see Adie.

But they'd locked eyes already. It almost pained her that she could not see any evidence of wanting to fight in his eyes, she worried about how much her comments had stung.

"Sirius, before you say anything, I want to make it clear I'm not here for a fight. I want to apologise to you." Adie wasn't sure if the looks of pure shock on his face was because she'd referred to him by his first name or because she wanted to say sorry.

"I don't exactly _like_ you or think that the way you treat me is fair but what I said last night was _inexcusable_. I should never have said that stuff and, to be honest, I only said it because I knew that was what would hurt me the most.

I know you hate me and think I'm a Slytherin by nature as well as name. I'm not, but there's no way I'm going to be able to prove that to you if I carry on acting like that. I'm very, very sorry, Sirius."

He stared at her in complete surprise, gaping at the girl. Eventually James nudged him again and he managed to splutter a response.

"Um, thanks I guess… Adrianna."

She beamed at him and Sirius blinked again, never having been subjected to Adie's infamous grin before. Remus resisted the urge to snicker at the look on his friend's face.

"I'm not saying me and you are going to be buddies from now on," Sirius recovered from the effects of Adie's smile enough to make sure she knew her place. "But I will try my hardest not to get into confrontations with you again. You're not what I- Well, you're… odd."

Well, she mused, 'odd' was probably better than 'Slytherin through and through' and so she regarded this as a compliment and accepted James's offer to get a late breakfast with them.

Yes it was very odd indeed, both Adie and Sirius thought, to be walking side-by-side with the person they thought they hated more than anyone else. Very odd to realise that you might have been wrong all this time…

* * *

><p><strong><span>AN:** Sorry for the wait but I've been away on hols - luckily this chapter is a little longer than usual ;)

Hope you enjoyed it and thanks SO MUCH to everyone who has reviewed while I was away - I love reviews even more than I love biscuits (which is saying something) so if you happened to spare a couple of seconds to review this chapter I would be immensely happy!

Hopefully, I can have the next chapter up soon because, let's face it, what else can I do while waiting for my Pottermore Welcome email?

Much love,  
>Elle xoxo<p> 


	10. Chapter 10: Confessions and Confusion

**Chapter 10:**

Throughout the past month a strange truce had existed; Adie had begun to hang around with the Marauders a lot. She would relax with them by the Lake, in the weak rays of Scottish sunshine, and she was even made privy to a few of their pranks. They showed her the kitchens and she was delighted to find that some of the House-Elves there knew Gillie.

But Adrianna never, ever shared any direct interaction with Sirius since their uncomfortable apologies. Of course, they were around each other a lot in the sense that Sirius no longer avoided his friends when they went to meet up with Adie but joined them, staying silent and mostly spending his time observing the girl. For her part, Adie never tried to engage him in any sort of conversation and resolutely ignored him.

However, this particular lunchtime Adrianna was not with the boys as they lounged in the Kitchens. Three of the lads were laughing and scrounging food from the platters that surrounded them; one was staring intently at the floor and picking at the frayed cuff of his jumper.

"Oi, Moony," Sirius leant across the work top to poke his friend's face. "What you sulking about?"

Remus huffed to himself, looking up from the floor. "Well, you know it's that… time of the month. Stop laughing James!"

Peter however shook his head. "Nope, Remus, you're wrong. The full moon's not for another week." The boy grinned quite triumphantly; Astrology was his best subject.

The others quickly realised that Peter was right and gave Remus a sharp look. He had relaxed a lot about the whole 'werewolf' thing since the other Marauders had become Animagi; he felt much less alone and scared. It was unusual for him to be stressing a whole week before his transformation.

"Yes, but I've been thinking. I want to tell Adie." Remus's voice was quiet as he confessed this and it took the others a second to process his words.

Remus looked up at them and began to speak quickly. "I've been friends with her for a while now and I really believe I can trust her. I trusted you guys and your reaction to the revelation was incredible, I think Adie will give me the same support. I really do."

James nodded slowly. "It's up to you, mate. I think you're right, though, Adrianna's a trustworthy girl. She's never told anyone about our masterful pranking plans after all!"

Peter laughed with James while Sirius huffed impatiently.

"But this is more serious than pranks." His voice was unusually solemn. "I'm not exactly… against Remus telling her but I think we're a bit too comfortable with the idea. We should remember what a shock the news is.

"Especially considering we all know already, she'll be learning this all on her own. I just wouldn't want her to turn to Narcissa or… my brother in her surprise. She's still pretty close to those guys remember."

He turned back to the muffins on the countertop, apparently unconcerned by the fact that he'd just made an oddly perceptive comment.

"But other than that, you have no objections to me telling Adrianna Greengrass that I'm a werewolf?" Remus spoke very slowly, his voice thick with confusion.

The dark-haired boy shrugged. "She's an odd one. Maybe not as bad as I first thought but it's still inevitable that she'll end up like the rest of them. And _don't_ call me stubborn, Moons."

Remus had opened his mouth to speak but at Sirius's admonishment he fell silent.

"Well, she's meeting us by the Lake in an hour…" James glanced at his watch as he spoke.

"I- I'll tell her then."

Adrianna was already sitting by the edge of the Lake when the boys made their way out of the Castle. She was perched as close to the water as possible, tossing pebbles into the placid water, her vibrant hair tied messily away from her face.

"ADIE," James yelled as they approached, his arms waving like windmills. "HEY, GREENGRASS!"

She looked up, snapping out of her reverie, before smiling widely and returning James's enthusiastic wave, shielding her eyes with the other.

"Hey guys," she sighed happily as they sat down beside her; she grinned at them, even offering Sirius a tentative smile which provoked a sort of lip-twitch, if not a return smile.

James and Adie chatted idly for a while, discussing the highlights of a recent match. Peter looked around the group nervously and continuously while Remus resumed his staring match with the ground. Sirius was just looking directly at Adrianna, as if making his final judgement on her reliability.

"Guys, you all seem a bit… quiet today?" Adie sounded wary as she asked the question, her eyes flicked quickly to Remus. "Um, Remus, if you aren't feeling well then you don't have to hang out here. I don't mind."

Of course, Adie had realised that Remus was ill and quite severely so, but her sense of etiquette and politeness did not allow her to inquire after specific details. He shifted uncomfortably under her question, the others stared at him expectantly. His head whipped round once, ensuring that no one was anywhere _near_ hearing distance.

"I'm not feeling great but I'm fine for now. It'll be worse in a week or so." Remus began cautiously, Adie smiled sympathetically. "Ah, um. Next week, Thursday to be precise, is the full moon."

Adrianna smiled blandly on; she couldn't understand why he was telling her that. It seemed a completely random fact.

"Adrianna," Remus's voice was a haggard whisper now. "Adie, what I'm trying to tell you is that I am a werewolf."

Adie's mouth fell open into a perfect o-shape, her eyes wide. She looked quite comical; Sirius had to stifle a small laugh.

"I was bitten as a small child. My father insulted a werewolf with an even worse temper than most; I've been like this ever since. I transform every month – all the teachers know. I make my transformation in the Shrieking Shack. There's a passageway to it hidden under the Whomping Willow so no one else can get there." His words were coming tumbling out of his mouth so fast in his attempt to explain and fill the silence.

Adrianna had managed to shut her mouth and was trying so hard to absorb all this insane information. "But the Whomping Willow is… Whomping – how can you get into the tunnel?" At this statement Sirius had to laugh and Adie cursed her brain for only being able to process that stupid sentence. She turned to hiss a vitriolic comment at Sirius but remembered herself just in time.

James shot Sirius a silencing look before explaining the rest of the tale. "Well, there's a knot at the base of the tree that freezes it branches. Peter presses it."

She'd already gathered that the others knew.

"We go with his you see – oh no, it's not dangerous for us… We found out in Third Year and at the beginning of this year we finally became… Animagi."

_Shit_. Her mouth fell open once more.

"So Remus isn't so lonely." Peter added.

"James is a stag, Pete's a rat and I'm a dog." Sirius felt he should speak up too and so addressed Adrianna for the first time in over a month.

"Yes. That makes sense," Adie spoke robotically. "Sirius, the _dog_ star." She couldn't understand why her brain was working so slowly and idiotically.

Remus was still rather pale but he risked shuffling closer to his friend. "Adie, could you say something sensible please?"

She shook her head slowly as if to clear it. When she spoke it was in a hesitant but clear voice. "I'm not scared, Remus, I know that you would never willingly hurt a soul. You're the most gentle person I know, and so kind always. Which is why I'm having real trouble with this."

The Marauder's exchanged a worried look.

"It's just very, very hard to process and reconcile these two so incredibly different sides of you; kind, caring Remus and werewolf Remus. I don't understand how you can be the same person."

Adie stood up abruptly. James made a funny jerking movement as if to get up too.

"I have to go, I'm sorry. I swear on my life though, Remus, I will not tell _anyone_. I just really need to try and think about this long and hard, think about you."

With that, Adie turned tail and practically fled from the group before any of them had a chance to say anything.

Remus put his head in his hands. "It could have gone a lot worse." Peter said.

"Could have gone a lot fucking better too."

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><p><strong><span>AN:** Sorry for the wait :( Been swamped with work lately - hey to all the new subscribers too!

Next chapter up when I can manage; I swear it WILL NOT be later than two weeks time. Reviews help me write faster too, by the way ;)

Elle xxo


	11. Chapter 11: Full Moon

**Chapter 11:**

Remus stayed in this depressed and irate mood for the rest of the week, his face a permanent scowl. Adie had not approached any of the Marauders since the revelation; when they glanced her way during lessons and mealtimes she looked solemn and pensive.

During Transfiguration, she barely spoke a word to James either. He too was fretting with Remus. Both of them were very worried they may have lost a very good friend.

Sirius, however, was on edge for a different reason. He was not watching Adrianna but keeping his eye close on Narcissa and Regulus instead. He was more worried that Adie, in her shock and confusion may have divulged Lupin's secret to the pair; he tried to read their every glance and every movement.

"Do you think Narcissa knows?" Sirius demanded of his friends. Remus sighed heavily and rolled his eyes.

"No, they don't," he said. "Adie won't tell them. It's just a matter of whether or not she feels she can ever look me in the eye again."

Sirius paced restlessly. The full moon was five hours away. He had a bad feeling about tonight.

His nerves were, however, unnecessary. Adie had kept her promise and had not breathed a word of her new-found knowledge to anyone. Narcissa and Regulus had both spotted her melancholy and enquired after her with concern but she said nothing.

She just kept turning the idea over and over in her head; things had not gotten easier with time as she had initially hoped. Adrianna was _not_ prejudiced against werewolves, she really wasn't. She was just finding the idea of _Remus Lupin_ being a werewolf very hard to comprehend.

"We should have seen her reaction coming," Sirius muttered, finally ceasing his pacing and slumping on to the sofa next to James. "Remember how shocked we were when we found out? But we had each other to turn to; we had all received this inconceivable news together. That was how we got through."

The full moon was just an hour away when Adie made up her mind. She slipped out of the Slytherin Common Room silently, her fellow housemates distracted by Lucius recounting some sort of grand tale.

She crept down to the Lake in the dusky evening light, sitting down by the water's edge. Adie was careful to put the thick trunk of the tree she sheltered by in between her and the Castle. Anyone leaving the building now would not see the girl.

The Marauders were more cautious that evening, fearing that their secret may no longer be confined solely to their little group. They made their way to the Whomping Willow packed as tightly as they could manage under the Cloak. It was only when they were as close to the tree as safety would permit that they shucked the Cloak off to let Peter out.

Adie, who had been watching the tree closely, saw the silhouette of the five boys appear briefly. She darted forward, silently and stealthily, and watching in amazement as Peter transformed into his Animagus form.

She carefully noted how they froze the flailing limbs of the tree, a problem she'd been pondering as she'd formulated this plan. The rat had nudged a knot close to the base of the tree. Adrianna waited until the branches of the Willow began to swing again before creeping out of her hiding place.

No accusatory Marauder appeared and so they must all be their way to the Shrieking Shack, Adie thought. She waved her wand deftly "_Wingardium Leviosa._" She directed the broken branch to the secret knot, pressing gently. The tree was still.

As she got nearer, the girl realised there was an opening hidden amongst the twisted roots of the plant, leading into a dark tunnel. Adie paused for a moment – was she really going to do this? Well, none of them had strictly _forbidden_ her to follow them; in fact they'd given her all the information necessary for her to accompany them.

She bit her lip, realising her cunning Slytherin side showing through once more. However, the time to think was over! A thick branch whistled through the air, missing Adie's head by millimetres. She'd used up all her time.

Without pausing to think, she dived into the tunnel entrance as more angry branches flew her way. Adrianna landed with a thud into the earthy passage; she judged that there was enough room for her to stand, so she clambered up from her place, sprawled on the floor. Pulling her wand out from underneath her cloak, she muttered "_Lumos_." A muted glow lit her way.

The tunnel was fairly straight, bar a few twists and turns. Adie held her breath every time she turned a corner, terrified of running straight into the Marauders. The floor was smooth, compacted soil and the walls were fairly similar apart from the roots that bulged out every couple of metres or so.

Eventually Adie realised that she had reached her destination. Suddenly the floor beneath her feet was no longer earth but scuffed wooden planks, the walls were covered in tattered and faded floral wallpaper. She was in the Shrieking Shack.

Her heart was truly pounding now, careening against her chest. They could be behind any of the doors, lining the corridor she now stood in, waiting and ready to send her on her way. They'd never want to see her again, let alone continue to be her friend. But she still wanted to be with them; she'd worked so hard to get this friendship, she hadn't bargained on how hard it would be to maintain it.

There was only one way, she knew, to get over her shock, to reconcile the two Remuses.

When she was younger, Adrianna had been deathly scared of birds. In the Wizarding World this isn't a great fear to have, as they are such commonly used animals. Her parents decided enough was enough when Adie was seven; it was time to get over her ridiculous fear. So they took her to a Muggle entertainment place (which was a huge sacrifice for their daughter, in Mr and Mrs Greengrass' eyes), a birds of prey park.

Adie saw all the different birds there and realised that perhaps they weren't so bad after all. She told her parents this but they weren't convinced. The only way to get over a fear is to face it, they had said. They volunteered her for the bird show. She'd never been so scared in her life as when that falcon had sat on her arm – its talons and her arm separated only by a leather glove.

But it had sat there quite placidly, flying away and returning when its keeper called it. After that, Adie's fear of flapping birds had quite disappeared.

Now she knew there was only one way to get over this - by seeing it for herself, by seeing Remus as a werewolf, a nightmare. It would work, she was sure of that.

Adrianna leant against the rough walls for a moment, gathering her scattered thoughts and attempting to breathe properly. A couple of minutes had passed when a yell of pure agony ricocheted through the building.

The girl leapt up immediately; the awful, heart-breaking sound had come from the door at the end of the corridor. He was in there, it was happening now. She crept tentatively to the door, seriously considering just running and leaving right now.

Remus's yell had died down into moans of pain; Adie could hear the other boys making comforting sounds. She was suddenly overwhelmed by the strength of their friendship. She had to leave, she'd made a huge mistake coming here. She realised that now.

The yelling began again, the sound piercing Adie's heart. This time there was an edge to the sound as they faded into growls. The sound was becoming less human. Adrianna had heard enough now to know she could support Remus fully. She had betrayed her friends and a sense of nausea was beginning to envelope her. But she couldn't move, she had become paralysed with horror.

The building was full of snarls and growls, echoed through the hallway and reverberating through the whole house. Adrianna could take no more.

She wrenched herself away from the door, stumbling backwards and tripping over the hem of her cloak. As she tried to get away, her wand fell from her hand with a clatter, her circle of light extinguishing itself. Adrianna grabbed it, trying desperately to get up and force her legs to run.

She was up and ready to get out, cursing herself for ever coming, hating herself for betraying Remus like this when she noticed the door had opened. Adrianna was staring into the eyes of Remus Lupin, halfway through his transformation.

His body was hunched and contorted, his hands twisted into claws. His mouth hung open and she could see where fangs had pushed their way up. His feet were long and animalistic, his eyes bright with curiosity as he stared back at Adie.

She was frozen under his searching gaze. Finally, the remaining human part of Remus recognised the girl. The previously monstrous face became, suddenly, all too human. Pain, hurt, betrayal all washed over Remus's features as he understood what his friend had done.

Adrianna had followed him, even though she knew he would never have wanted that. She had seen him at his most vulnerable without his permission. She had been selfish and tactless, thinking only of herself and her shock instead of Remus who had to live his life with this disease, outcast and discriminated against, consumed with self-loathing, scared of the hurt he could cause other people.

She'd abused his trust so deeply.

A howl, blistering with agony ripped out of his body, shaking everyone to their very core. Adrianna realised, as the sound of her friend's pain surrounded her, that she was sobbing. She felt her knees give way, sinking slowly to the ground. But his transformation was not over yet.

Remus was getting less human with every second. The plus side was that the pain of Adie's betrayal was getting less and less. The negative side was that he was beginning to forget that he probably shouldn't kill her. His wolfish head twisted towards her, his body tensed ready to spring.

The next thing Adrianna knew a great weight had slammed into her hunched body, throwing her all the way back down the corridor and practically into the tunnel. She felt at her ribs, her body aching from the impact already. However, before she had time to assess the damage, her attacker had returned.

The great stag heaved her upright, no care for whether or not she was hurt. James shoved her down the tunnel, his eyes communicating only one message – "Run".

She did as she was told. As she turned tail, Adie spared just one glance back into the Shack. James was still watching her run, his stag body tense. Behind him she could see Remus twisting and struggling on the floor of the room, pinned underneath the heavy paws of a giant black dog.

Adrianna did not look back again and she did not stop running until she reached her dorm. She lay under her emerald duvet, shuddering and sobbing.

She'd lost them, in her stupid attempt to soothe her own idiotic fears, she had lost some of the best friends she'd ever had.

She'd lost them.

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><p><strong><span>AN:** Very dramatic, eh? I hope you enjoyed this chapter - I'm looking forward to writing the next one very much!

Thanks to everyone who had reviewed this story, you're the best. More reviews is always even better though, I love hearing people's feedback!

Elle xx


	12. Chapter 12: A Surprising Ally

**Chapter 12:**

Adie was woken the next morning by Narcissa shaking her gently. Her eyes opened blearily and she could feel that they were puffy from all the tears she had shed. Adie was still fully-clothed, her robes a crumpled mess.

Narcissa didn't say anything but appraised Adrianna's dishevelled appearance with a critical eye before sweeping out of the dorm. Adie sighed to herself, the memories of last night still fresh in her mind. She set about getting ready with a heavy heart.

Once she had showered and changed, eager to rid herself of all traces of the dank tunnel, she set off for the Great Hall; Adie didn't want to enter the room alone, scared of the reactions of the boys, and so she walked in with Sev.

They chatted harmlessly as they walked and if Severus noticed Adie's distress, he tactfully did not mention it.

As they entered the room, Adie felt her heart begin to beat about ten times faster than usual. She studiously kept her eyes away from the Gryffindor table, practically sprinting towards Narcissa, Regulus and Rabastan. She heard Severus quicken his pace, trying to keep up with her.

She slumped quickly on to the bench beside Cissy deliberately keeping her back to the other tables. Adie saw the others looking at her strangely.

"I'm really hungry." She commented with forced nonchalance, reaching for the toast. Rabastan sort of laughed derisively before getting up and leaving the group to their meal.

The instant Lestrange was out of earshot, Reg and Narcissa leant in towards Adie.

"Adrianna, why are my brother's moron friends glaring absolute daggers in our direction?"

"And where were you last night?" Narcissa interjected. "Dear Lord, if you were in their Common Room, or _anywhere_ else, you will be _slayed_."

Adie huffed indignantly. "Cissy, I hope you're not implying that there is now anything more than friendship between myself and the boys. And last night, I just went for a walk."

Regulus raised one disbelieving eyebrow looking scarily like his older brother, Adie noted. "That doesn't explain why Remus Lupin, apparently the nicest guy ever to have walked the face of the planet, is looking like he wants to murder you."

Adie groaned to herself. Of course he was furious - he had every right to be. She knew she would have to face the angry Marauders sooner or later however at the moment she was hoping it would be _later_. Adie was feeling very cowardly right now.

She scarfed down the rest of her breakfast, ignoring Cissy and Reg's joking inquiries about last night. Neither really cared what had occurred between Adie and her new friends, they were just enjoying languidly teasing her.

Adrianna got to Runes before anyone else and she thanked her lucky stars that none of the Marauders took this class.

The hour passed in a blur. Remus's anguished, half-wolf face was stuck in Adie's head. She really did despise herself for what she'd done and worst of all, Adrianna could see no way to make amends for her actions either.

She vaguely heard the teacher dismissing the class and reached for her bag mechanically, packing away her quills and parchment on autopilot. A Hufflepuff girl who was in Adie's next class began walking beside her, making light conversation. The Slytherin's mind was not really on the conversation, she was still racking her brains for a way to apologise to Remus. She made her way to Transfiguration in a dream.

_Transfiguration_. Adrianna could have screamed, interrupting the Hufflepuff's story about Charms Club.

For Salazar's Sake! She would be sitting next to _James_, a very angry boy who was in the right about the whole debacle, who had also happened to have saved her life last night.

Oh joy, Adie thought sourly.

She left her stomach somewhere in the corridor outside the classroom and her heart sunk when she saw the mess of black hair already at their desk. Adie slipped into the seat silently, leaning as far away from his as possible and keeping her hair as a shield between them. He did not acknowledge her.

Adrianna could not concentrate on a word McGonagall said throughout the lesson. All she could think about was the way James's knuckles were white he was clutching his quill so hard. She didn't hear a word about changing tortoises into teapots but instead noticed instead how Peter was sending her these looks of hurt, confusion and anger from his seat at the front of the class. She couldn't even bring herself to check how Remus looked.

Finally the class was over and McGonagall dismissed the Fifth Years curtly; already, Adie's stuff was packed and she was out of the door before James had time to blink. However as she practically sprinted out of the room, Adie was struck by a thought.

She really deserved all their anger and soulful looks. She _deserved_ to lose them; if they no longer wanted to be her friend, she should accept it because they had every right to hurt her too.

So she paused outside the door and instead leant against the wall and waited for the boys. They walked out, dark scowls on their faces which flickered momentarily to shock at seeing Adie waiting for them. The grimaces, however, quickly returned.

Lily and Emmeline were just behind the boys and they made as if to stop for their friend but Adie shook her head and motioned them on.

"I'll see you guys later, yeah?" she said, attempting a smile. The two girls exchanged a worried glance and Lily shot a warning glare at James. He didn't appear to see it, still staring stonily and unimpressed at Adrianna.

Adie kept her eyes trained on Lily and Emmeline's retreating backs until they disappeared from view. It was only then that she turned to face the four boys, taking a deep breath.

"I know that no apology can ever make up for what I've done and I'm ready to fully accept the consequences of my actions. However, I want you to know that I _am_ truly sorry for following you last night; I know how deeply wrong it was. I can't begin to imagine how you must feel, Remus.

"The only reason I came in the first place was to try to 'get over' my fear, to try to understand and digest this huge piece of news. I realise it was a damn stupid thing to do now but at the time I could think of no other way to do it." Adie sighed as the boys' expressions did not change.

James's jaw was clenched tight, Peter still had that pained expression on his face and Remus's face, worst of all, was just blank – it was as if he didn't even recognise the girl in front of him. And, oh Merlin, Black can't even bring himself to look at me, Adie thought looking at Sirius whose eyes were gazing out of the window instead.

"I just can't believe it of you, Adrianna," Remus began to speak monotonously. "I trusted you and you abused that trust. You saw me at my most vulnerable, it makes me thing that you don't understand what it took for me to tell you my secret.

"Don't you understand that I am _consumed_ with self-loathing at who I am? I despise myself during those monthly transformations and then to see you there, so casually invading this personal nightmare of mine – uninvited, just trying to selfishly allay your own fears? It was awful. I just can't believe it of _you_, especially."

Adie swallowed thickly, willing herself no to cry. She bit her lip and bit back the words she felt she should say; she was afraid her voice would crack and set off the tears. Adrianna didn't want them to think she was trying to gain her sympathy.

Before she had time to compose herself, James interjected angrily. "Moony's right; you were fucking selfish, Adie, one thing I really didn't think of you. All you cared about was calming your own nerves! You didn't even stop to consider Remus's feelings, the danger of the situation and how we would feel if you got hurt on our account. It was insensitive, untactful and just so self-centred. It makes me wonder if Sirius was right. After all, we don't really know you or understand you at all, do we?"

Sirius's head shot up at the mention of his name and he stared for a moment at James, confused.

Adie took the few moments of silence to say one last piece. "I know, James, trust me I do. I loathe myself for what I've done but I'd like to think that my fault here is not selfishness but a lethal combination of stupidity and impulsiveness. If I had taken the time to stop and think about what I was doing, I would never have followed through.

"I only undertook this _idiotic_ journey in order to help be a better friend to you all. I did it so that I could fully support Remus, and help and understand. I realise now that what I've done hasn't achieved this and, as I said, I'm ready to face the consequences of what I've done. I won't try to carry this friendship on but thank you anyway; it was some of the best months of my life while it lasted."

Once again, Adie had to blink rapidly to dispel her tears; this was it, they were finally going to abandon her and end their relationship. She'd never had a boyfriend to break-up with before but she imagined it couldn't be worse than this.

James went to open his mouth and snap an angry retort but Sirius held up his hand suddenly. His eyes were fixed on Adie and they had been throughout the duration of her last speech.

He cleared his throat and began to speak tentatively. "James just said that he thought maybe I was 'right about Adrianna'. I think he was referring to all the rather unpleasant things I have accused her of being in the past. But that is what it is, it's in the past."

Adie stared at Sirius incredulously. What was he doing? Wasn't this what he had wanted all along – for Remus and James and Peter to want no more to do with her?

"Adie is a good friend of yours. Obviously, what she did was wrong and incredibly dense," the boy rolled his eyes and some of the usual vitriol was back in his voice. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that her intentions were good. I don't think you should be reacting so harshly. Adrianna had it harder than us, taking this news. I think her reaction was valid."

There was a moment of absolute silence after Sirius had finished speaking while the other four just gazed at him disbelievingly.

"Thanks, Sirius…." Adie managed finally.

He shrugged. "No problem."

Remus and James exchanged looks of confusion, both struggling for words.

"But… Sirius, I suppose the main reason we were so angry is because we thought you were right. It was a 'Slytherin' thing to do?" Remus's voice was still thick with incomprehension.

Sirius looked away from the spider's web that had caught his attention. "God, I thought you lot would have learnt not to listen to a fucking thing _I_ say by now. And, like, you didn't have Slytherin _motives_ I don't think, did you?"

He directed this last question towards Adrianna who started slightly at being directly addressed. "Well, no. Of course, I didn't."

Remus turned to look at his friend, a small half-smile on his face. Adie returned the smile tentatively; was this all going to work out fine? All because of Sirius defending her? The idea was shocking to Adriana.

"Well, I think you may have been right this time, Sirius." James joked, hitting his best friend in between the shoulder blades.

Remus laughed. "Maybe we did overreact a little. Adie, I'm sorry. What you did was wrong but you know that I can see you're truly sorry."

Adie's tentative smile grew into one of her huge grins as she enveloped her werewolf friend in a giant hug.

"I am sorry, Rems, so sorry!" Her voice came out rather muffled as James and Peter piled into the hug. Sirius stood watching them all, an almost melancholy smile on his face.

They all broke away from the hug, laughing and reunited again. Adie just couldn't believe it was because of Sirius…

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><p><strong><span>AN:** First off, there may be gaps of a couple of weeks between chapter now seeing as I have a lot of work on at the moment. _Hopefully_ it won't be that long between updates but I also have other writing to work on too. Feel free to nag me via Tumblr about updates, there's a link on my profile - I'll always respond to queries there.

Anyway, updates are _loved_. They really do help me to write faster too, if I think/know that there's someone out there looking forward to the next chapter it motivates me a lot.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Elle xoxo


	13. Chapter 13: Mudblood

**A/N:** This chapter contains text directly lifted from _Snape's Worst Memory_ in _The Order of The Phoenix_ by J.K. Rowling. If you recognize the dialogue then **its is not mine**. All credit goes to our Queen, Joanne.

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><p><strong>Chapter 13:<strong>

For once, Remus, Adie and Lily were not alone in the Library. Instead, the tables were filled up and many students had resorted to pursuing thick tomes on the dusty carpet. The first OWL examination of the year was tomorrow.

Adrianna shut the book on Transfiguration that she was trying to dissect and looked at her two friends.

"Rems, Lily," she enquired tentatively. "Do you think they'll go alright, the exams?"

Her nerves were very evident in her voice and this prompted a smile from the others.

Lily waved her quill airily. "Honestly, Adie, you'll do brilliantly – you're one of the cleverest people in the year."

"Lily's right. You've studied even harder than usual (which is really saying something), you're bound to do well." Remus concurred.

Adrianna did not look satisfied with their answers.

"I have to do better than just 'well', Remus," Adie sighed. "I need to do outstandingly. I want to keep all my options open and get a good job."

She had previously confided in the pair about how she hoped a good job might provide some outlet for her later on in life. Both Remus and Lily had been struck by the sadness of such a young girl feeling the need to plan so far in advance and make such a contingency plan.

Adrianna had spent every waking moment of the past few months immersed in revision. She studied with Severus in the Common Room, Remus and Lily in the Library, she asked Reg to test her on incantations over meals and she had even managed to coerce the Marauders into some studying by the Lake.

_That_ situation was very much resolved now. There had remained some tension between Adie and Remus after their reunion but that had entirely dissolved within a week or so. James had reverted back to his japing and jesting self immediately; his warm enthusiasm for Adie had reduced all of the potential awkwardness. Peter seemed quietly pleased to have regained his friendship with the kind girl who often helped him with homework when none of the impatient Marauders would.

Most of all, however, Adrianna's relationship with Sirius had changed dramatically. For a start, she could almost begin to think of him as a friend, she felt. They had conversations – she had even made him laugh a few days ago! Admittedly, their conversations were somewhat stilted and slightly awkward but they were definitely well-meaning and positive.

In fact, that very night James _and_ Sirius had persuaded Adrianna to pause her studies for a couple of hours for some Quidditch practice.

The thought of it made Adie's stomach squirm slightly, although she didn't fully understand why. Surely it wouldn't be too awkward between them if James was there? It was impossible to feel uncomfortable if James was in the vicinity!

At five o'clock, Adie excused herself from the Library and set off towards the pitch. Within minutes she was changed and warming up in the warm summer sky. Adie was so absorbed with her exercise that she did not even notice the two boys entering the pitch. When James called out a hallo, she almost fell off her broom in fright.

"My gosh, James, you nearly scared me half to death!" Adie laughed and flew back down to the join the boys on the turf. Sirius nodded to Adrianna in greeting, a small smile on his lips.

James joined in Adie's laughter. "Come on, my face isn't that bad! Or is it? Is that reason Evans is so determined not to date me? Because she can't possibly have an objection to my irresistible personality!"

Sirius shook his head and exchanged an exasperated glance with Adie. She smiled at him widely. They had shared quite a few jokes about James and his hopeless infatuation with Adrianna's best friend.

Sirius suddenly stopped laughing and looked around the pitch. "Um, James mate, weren't you supposed to get the balls from McGonagall's office?"

James groaned to himself, having completely forgotten a rather essential part of the night. "I'll sprint back and get them now – I won't be two minutes!"

And with that he was gone. Sirius rolled his eyes once more.

"Yeah, you _won't _be two minutes – more like twenty."

Adie snorted at the truth of this statement; James was a Quidditch king but his sporting prowess did not extend all the way to activities that actually take place on the ground. He would most likely jog for a couple of minutes before wandering aimlessly the rest of the way, probably stopping to chat and flirt along the way.

Sirius sat down on the grass, leaning back on his elbows. Adie felt a little self-conscious remaining standing so she joined him quickly, sitting cross-legged beside the boy.

He looked over at her. "I still think it's a veritable miracle that James even managed to get you here. You study an _insane_ amount – you're actually worse than Moony!"

Adie smiled slightly at his comment before explaining. "Well, I just really need good grades, you see. I'm think that –"

The blonde paused for a second; she was unsure of whether she should mention her future in front of Black. She didn't know if they were friends enough yet for him to feel comfortable discussing it. He cocked his head, confused by her sudden silence.

"I'm thinking that if I secured a good job, perhaps at the Ministry, I might be able to keep it… You know, my husband might let me keep my job. I'd really, really like that. I think I'll go a bit insane if I don't have anything else in my life."

She stopped speaking again. She was afraid of overstepping the mark and incurring Sirius's wrath again; he still struck Adrianna as rather volatile in his moods.

Sirius' eyes were fixed on the stand and he nodded slowly. "Yeah, I don't really hear of that much. Most of the women in my family stay at home to decorate the house and buy expensive clothes."

Adie breathed a small sigh of relief at his civil response and continued. "I'm going to be such a crap wife to which ever unfortunate Slytherin male I get shoved with. I'll pick blue wallpaper and magnolia carpets or something equally as terrible. Worst of all, I'll probably even show my children some affection – the horror of that!"

Adrianna laughed dryly and Sirius snorted too. When she looked over at him, she was pleased to realise his half-smile was still there.

Suddenly, Sirius' smile faltered for a moment and he turned to look Adie in the face.

"Adie," it was the first time he'd called her that. "Things with your family, they're pretty ba-"

"GUYS, I MADE IT! TEN MINUTES, LOOK AT ME GO!" James' victorious yell rung out around the pitch.

The other two looked around suddenly, surprised to see James. Adie cursed him mentally, she felt like they'd been on the edge of a break through; a feeling of disappointment settled in her stomach.

As she turned back to face Sirius she noticed that he looked similarly annoyed. He caught her eye and just waved his hands in a "forget about it" way.

James, blithely unaware of ruining any sort of important moment between his friends, continued to set up the game. Eventually his enthusiasm pulled Adie and Sirius on to their feet and they joined him in the warm evening air. By the end of the night, Adrianna had practically forgotten Sirius' unfinished sentence as her mind was once again filled with the coming exams.

Exams began and passed –for Adie at least- without too much hysteria. She didn't find them too nerve-wracking once they actually started; there were few questions that really threw her.

Her Charms practical went well as did her Transfiguration. Astrology wasn't too bad either – though, Adie spent a lot of the exam worrying about drifting off to sleep. Potions (the exam Adrianna had been dreading most) actually went alright, she felt. The last exam was Defence against the Dark Arts and Adie could see no cause for concern there.

She sat in the Great Hall and was flicking through her exam paper one last time when Flitwick's call made her jump.

"Five more minutes!"

Adie resumed her reading, double-checking each answer carefully. She smiled as she reached question ten – werewolves. Five easy marks there, she thought.

In attempt to while away the last few minutes of the exam, Adie began to play the now familiar game of picking her friends out from the hall full of students.

Narcissa and Severus were sat a few rows ahead and to the left of Adie; Cissy had evidently finished and was inspecting her nails carefully while Sev, on the other hand, was still writing furiously.

James was hunched over his paper – ahead of Adie – although she doubted he was actually writing anything to do with DADA. Peter was in between the Slytherin and James, staring absent minded into the middle distance.

Remus was to Adie's left too, carefully going over his answers with a little frown line appearing between his eyebrows. Lily had adopted a similar pose, her vibrant hair tied up to keep it out of her face as she wrote. Emmeline was biting her quill as if she was searching for that one last answer.

Finally, Adrianna's eyes found Sirius sitting just a few desks to her right; she couldn't believe she hadn't realised he was there before.

If anyone had been watching Adie, seeking _her _out from the crowd, they would have noticed a flicker of annoyance cross her face suddenly. Dorcas Meadowes was staring at Sirius with the most ridiculous love-sick puppy expression on her face. What an idiot, Adie thought disdainfully, he doesn't even know who you are!

She was about to turn away from the sickening sight when Sirius looked up. He shot her a wide grin before turning to give James a quick thumbs-up. Adie had to check herself and make sure she wasn't looking to puppy-like. After all, _she_ didn't fancy Sirius – she'd leave that up to bimbos like Dorcas. Still, it was quite nice seeing the bitter look of resentment the other girl was shooting Adie.

Finally, Flitwick released them all and Adie caught up with Lily and Emmeline. Lily, as ever, ignored the group rule of not discussing each exam paper once they'd finished it and immediately launched into a dissection of each question.

"Oh, Lils do shut up would you!" Em laughed kindly. "That was our last OWL – we're free!"

Adrianna joined in the happy laughter, feeling confident and happy. She linked her arms with Em and Lily as they walked out into the bright July sunshine.

Adie smiled "No more lunchtimes shut up in the Library or pouring over dull Transfiguration books – bliss."

"And only four days left here!" Lily exclaimed. "Sev and I have already made plans for the holidays. I have missed hanging out with him a bit."

Adie grinned, pleased that Lily and Severus would be able to meet up again. They were two of her good friends. However, Lily's reminder of the imminent summer holidays was not so pleasing for Adrianna. She knew what those six long weeks of summer meant for her. She would deeply miss Hogwarts, her safe haven.

Em pulled Adie out of her reverie by poking her best friends in the side.

"What's going on there?" the blonde asked, standing up to try and get a better look at the group that had congregated a little way off their spot at the edge of the Lake.

The three girls paused for a moment, listening to the sounds of laughing and shouting.

Suddenly they heard a stream of angry words, a desperate sound. Both Lily and Adie recognised the voice and they too shot to their feet.

"_Scourgify_!"

Adie, reaching the mass of people, looked on in horror as James spoke the incantation cruelly. Severus began gagging immediately on the bubbled flowing from his mouth. It made Adie feel sick to hear the laughter of the others; the look of coldness of James' face; Sirius' amused smirk; Remus sitting there and doing _nothing_. They were not the boys Adie was best friends with.

"Leave him ALONE." Lily yelled as she stomped forwards into the circle. Although James looked surprised to see her, he did not halt the spell.

Adie joined Lily. "You heard what she said, leave him alone."

James shot Adrianna a confused look but nevertheless he flicked his wand and the bubbles stopped. Severus clutched at his throat, still retching; Adie ran to where he was sat on the ground and began trying to help him. She noticed, as she ran, an odd look on Sirius' face. Adie ignored it, still furious with the boy for egging James on.

As she tended to Sev, Adie could hear an argument develop between James and Lily.

"All right, Evans?" James sounded stupid, Adrianna thought, too deep.

"Leave him alone. What has he done to you?"

"Well," James paused for a moment and his smirk was practically audible. "It's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean…"

Sirius' laughter, although mingled with many other students, made Adie's head whip round furiously. He caught her angry glower and shrugged as if to say "I'm not doing anything _wrong_". They act like just because it's Sev they're torturing, it doesn't matter and it's not wrong, Adie thought angrily.

It appeared Lily was having similar thoughts. "You think you're funny," she said coldly. "But you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him _alone_."

"I will if you go out with me, Evans," James spoke quickly and Adie now turned to look at him disbelievingly. Did he really think Lily would go for that? "Go on… go out with me and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again."

Adrianna was too busy glaring at James, hating the names he used for Sev and hating the way he spoke about Severus as if he wasn't even there, to notice that James' victim was slowly crawling towards _his_ wand.

"I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the Giant Squid." Lily sniffed and Adie grinned victoriously.

"Bad luck, Prongs," was Sirius' response as he turned towards where Adie sat. "OI!"

Adrianna glared at him in confusion. Why was he yelling at her? Suddenly, there was a flash of light and Adie saw some drops of blood hit the grass in front of her.

By the time she looked up, Severus was dangling upside-down in the air. His robes were flung over his head to show his underwear. James was holding his wand aloft, a large cut on his cheek.

Adie sprang to her feet, torn as to whether she should help Severus down or see if James was alright.

"James? Why are you -? Please stop it, James," was all Adie could say. Her plea made James' laughter falter for a second.

"Let him down."

James whirled away from the guilt of Adie to look instead at Lily who appeared, much to Adrianna's annoyance, to be fighting back a grin.

"Certainly," James said and instantly, Sev was on the floor in a heap. Within seconds, his wand was back out and ready to curse James but the Seeker was faster. Once again, Severus lay on the floor as James hit him with _Petrificus Totalus._

"LEAVE HIM ALONE." Now Lily and Adie, too, had their wands out and the boys eyed them warily.

"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you."

"Quit playing cute, James," Adie said shortly. James realised her very real anger now.

"Take the curse off him." Lily's tone was equally as unimpressed.

James huffed indignantly but turned to the Slytherin boy and lifted the curse.

"There you go," James said as Severus got to his feet. Adie was about to go and help him before returning to the Common Room when James continued. "You're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus –"

"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!"

Adie halted, halfway between the Marauders and Snape.

"Fine," Lily's voice sounded calm but her best friend could hear the wealth of pain below the surface. "I won't bother in future. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, _Snivellus_."

Lily's voice broke somewhat as she hurled her words at Snape, trying to hurt him as he had just hurt her.

"Apologise to Evans!" James roared.

"I don't want _you_ to make him apolo –"

Before Lily could finish her angry comment, directed towards James, Adie had fired a curse at Snape.

The dark haired boy flew across the grass once more but it was not anger and embarrassment in his eyes as he sat up but complete confusion.

Everyone standing around had turned in shock to look at Adrianna. She faltered for a moment, disconcerted by all the looks she was getting. However, as her eyes met Lily's tear-filled eyes she remembered her rage.

"Never, never ever use that word again, Severus. You just insulted the only two people who liked you for who you are; the only two people in this world that you could call friends – that are there for you," Adie paused for a moment, trying to express her true anger. Her words stuttered and stumbled in her fury.

"_You're as bad as the rest of them!_" She was referring to the other, elitist Slytherins; it was the worst thing Adie could think of to say before turning and pushing her way past the crowds of students.

Through the sound of the blood beating in her ears, Adie hear Lily yell one more insult at James.

"Evans! Hey, EVANS!

Evidently, Lily had walked away. Adie had no desire to see if she'd come to follow her. She suspected not; Lily was probably equally furious with Adrianna as she was with James.

The Slytherin threw herself onto the ground as close to the Forbidden Forest as she dared to go. She watched numbly as Snape was thrown into the air once more. She could feel no sympathy any longer.

* * *

><p><strong><span>AN:** Sorry for the wait! Work is dragging me down right now :'( I hope you all enjoy it though - I had real fun with this chapter!

About reviews... I'd really like some! Haha! Yeah, I haven't gotten any on the past two chapters so if you liked the chapter please just drop me a couple of words saying so - I'm not expecting an essay! It's just really nice to know someone's enjoying you're work and I really mean it, it does make me work faster knowing that someone is actually waiting to read some more of my story. Even if you _don't_ like the story an ymore maybe you could let me know what I'm doing wrong? It'd really help.

Love to you all!

Elle xxxx


	14. Chapter 14: The Consequences

**Chapter 14:**

Adie returned to the Slytherin Common Room just in time to avoid breaking curfew. She curled herself up on the emerald sofa and buried her face into the velvet, desperate to forget the awful afternoon. However, as per usual, her reflective time in the Common Room was disturbed by the arrival of one smug blond.

Fortunately, Lucius did not seem overly concerned to see Adrianna although news of her latest escapade could hardly have failed to reach his ears. _Unfortunately_, he was with Snape. Adie clenched her jaw.

"Congratulations, Severus," Lucius' silky tones made Adie want to retch. "Finally ditching that dreary girl – such a dead weight! You can move on to much higher things now you've dropped the Mudblood."

As he said the word, Lucius twisted towards Adrianna making sure to catch her eye. He smirked superciliously as she clenched her fists furiously. She whipped round to look at Snape, to see if he would show any signs of remorse.

He stared straight through Adie, not a hint of regret on his face.

"You're right, Lucius," Snape said; his voice had changed to a hard drawl, a cold sound, instead of its previous earnest tones. "I won't deign to bless that unworthy Muggle filth with my presence again."

Lucius' grin widened at this comment and he draped one arm around Snape, pulling him closer. Adie realised the meaning of the action – Snape was under Malfoy's wing now, his little apprentice. She felt a pang of pain seeing her friend, knowing she'd lost him for good.

In fact, Adrianna's pain was so great that she almost went to make the first move and offer Severus an apology. No sooner had she opened her mouth, however, did Lucius beat her to it.

"Oh, I did mention didn't I?" He asked innocently, before Adie could speak. "McGonagall wants you in her office tomorrow lunch time. I'm not sure of the specifics but somehow, she has heard whisper of your little… misadventure."

Adrianna turned and headed for her dorm room, to angry to even speak. Snape had evidently told the teachers on them all (undoubtedly, Adie would see the Marauders tomorrow lunchtime too), probably under the direction of Malfoy.

She threw herself across her bed, fuming silently. Lucius Malfoy was the world's biggest arsehole, Adie raged to herself, she pitied poor Cissy more than ever now!

Adrianna filled her head with anger instead of dwelling on the coming meeting with McGonagall. The idea of having to face the angry Scotswoman struck terror into the heart of the girl – she'd never actually had a detention before…

And so, it was with a heavy heart that Adie set off to McGonagall's office at midday. Her morning had been consumed with packing and meeting her teachers to ask about further reading she could do over the holidays to prepare for NEWTs. This meant that she hadn't had the chance to see the Marauders yet.

Adrianna wasn't quite sure how she felt about this; should she be angry with the boys for their treatment of Snape? Or was that hypocritical as she'd ended up attacking him too? Adie decided to just wait it out and see how the meeting went.

Minevra surveyed the Slytherin girl over the rim of her glasses, looking up at the knock on the door. The professor was greatly vexed at having to punish Adrianna – usually she was a model student. Obviously there was more to the story than the account of an unwarranted assault that Severus Snape had given her, corroborated by Lucius Malfoy.

"Come in and sit down please."

Adie did as she was told, waiting in silence as McGonagall calmly carried on with her marking. As it happens Minevra was still pondering the real truth behind yesterday's events. Although James Potter and Sirius Black were somewhat rowdy and, on occasion, arrogant boys they were not the sort of students to influence another either.

McGonagall was not worried that the Marauders had been a bad influence – she was sure this uncharacteristic behaviour _was_ Adrianna's alone but she just could not figure out her motives.

Eventually, the silence between the two females was broken by another knock at the door. Professor McGonagall looked up again and beckoned the boys in before expressing her displeasure with the trio.

"I have been informed that you were involved in an incident by the Lake yesterday afternoon in which you three victimised Mr Snape, attacking him in a vile and bullying manner. This is not acceptable. All three of you will serve detention with Mr Filch tomorrow evening at seven o'clock."

Adie sighed heavily, heartbroken that she should receive her first ever detention. James and Sirius, on the other hand, turned to each other in outrage.

"But, professor, that's so unfair! He cut me, look," James indicated the gash on his cheek which had obviously been partly repaired by magic. Moony must have performed the spell as the red mark had not entirely faded. "And he called Evans a…"

At the point James broke off and looked at Adie warily, as if scared that she might attack him too if he dared to utter the offensive word.

"He called Evans a," James' voice dropped to a whisper. "_Mudblood_."

McGonagall raised one eyebrow at the statement and turned towards Adrianna to confirm its truth.

"He did – it's why I hexed him. I know it was wrong though, I shouldn't have let it provoke me." Adie spoke quietly, accepting her punishment.

Sirius, however, leant forwards. "Look, miss, you know what it's like: it's clear that James and I instigated the incident, we'll admit that. But Adrianna was just standing up for her friend. Merlin, she was even trying to help Sniv- I mean, Snape before he used that word. It's unfair to punish her too."

Adie looked at Sirius in surprise; although they were on much better terms these days, she was still intensely surprised to hear him defend her again.

However, his plea did not seem to greatly affect Minevra who just stared at the trio, unimpressed.

"As chivalrous as that was, Mr Black," McGonagall returned, in crisp tones. "Miss Greengrass was right – Mr Snape's crudeness does not make her actions acceptable. She, too, must face the consequences of her rash behaviour."

Sirius frowned at the judgement but Adie didn't mind so much. She just sent the scowling boy a grateful smile which he returned, shrugging.

"I will, however, be speaking to Severus about his language. That kind of discrimination is not tolerated at Hogwarts."

McGonagall swept out of the room, pausing at the doorway to quickly remind the students:

"Mr Filch, seven o'clock in the Entrance Hall."

She turned away once more and left the three chagrined students alone.

Adrianna grabbed her bag, pulling onto her lap and prepared to leave. Before she went, she remembered to turn to Sirius to thank him properly.

"That was very kind of you to try and get me out of trouble, Sirius," Adie laughed. "But McGonagall is right, I do deserve a detention. I shouldn't have let my temper get the better of me."

Sirius shrugged again. "It's nothing. I just thought it was pretty unfair, considering that you'd been trying to help the bastard just a few minutes before."

Adie pursed her lips in remembrance of James' less than kind actions towards Snape, which had prompted her heroism in the first place.

"And anyway, Adrianna, your temper always gets the better of you! I'm surprised this is only your first detention!" Sirius called this out to Adie as he and James exited the classroom. James waved, still quite tentative and unsure of whether he was forgiven or not.

Adie pondered Sirius' parting comment with some surprise; she had never thought of herself as a particularly angry or impulsive person. That's why her previous behaviour towards Sirius had seemed so drastic, because it was out of character.

Yet, when she thought about it, her angry emotions often guided her actions. Her apology to Sirius was a reaction to Lucius' pride; so many of her actions in life were governed by what would most offend her sister and the other pure-blood elitists. It made Adie wonder why she spent so much of her time trying to please her parents when she had such a blatant disregard for everyone else who stood for the same ideals as them.

It's just… they were her _family_, her parents. They were supposed to love each other unconditionally; Adie just resented all the conditions she had to adhere to in order to gain her parents love.

James and Sirius ambled down the corridor, heading in the general direction of the Gryffindor Common Room.

"'Oh please, professor, don't put my perfect _girlfriend_ in detention!' You are so pathetic, mate!" James laughed, shoving his best friend. He wasn't quite sure if Sirius was comfortable enough with Adie yet to be putting up with romantic jokes but he thought he'd chance it anyway.

As it was, Sirius just seemed quite confused by James' train of thought.

"I don't fancy her, Prongs. It was just unfair."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot you were just Lady Liberty herself."

"Fuck off."

James laughed loudly at Sirius' annoyance in the way that best friends do. He seemed to be bearing the jokes fairly well and so James thought it okay to continue.

"To be fair though," James spoke with suppressed laughter in his voice. "You do love to act the dashing hero around her – why is that, Mr Darcy?"

"Dear Lord, not you too. Moony was bad enough! Lily said those were _girls'_ books…" Sirius shook his head, marvelling at James' femininity. "And no, I just… I don't know. I feel a bit bad, I guess, for being so harsh towards her all this time. She's not bad, Adie."

James grinned widely, wisely deciding to ignore Sirius' first accusation because his mate had just referred to the pretty, blonde Slytherin as 'Adie'. Hook, line and sinker, James thought triumphantly.

Adrianna arrived first to the Entrance Hall, of course, the next evening. She was not in too bad a mood owing largely to the fact that on her way to the punishment, she had seen McGonagall giving Snape a right bollocking (as James would say).

However, early as Adie was to the appointment, Filch was there already. He scowled deeply at her as she joined him by the staircase; she returned his thundery look with the most sincere smile she could muster. They passed a few uncomfortable moments in a dark silence before the two boys appeared, laughing and joking as they walked.

Adie hadn't thought it possible but upon seeing the boys, Filch's grimace became even surlier and almost bordered on murderous it seemed to the girl.

"Alright, Filch, my man!" Sirius greeted Argus loudly, swinging one arm around the man and winking at Adie as he did so. She giggled slightly, shocking herself with the girlishness of the sound.

James high-fived Adie as he reached her. "It's time you learnt what you've been missing out on all this time, Adie!"

Sirius laughed loudly as Filch pushed his arm away impatiently, muttering in anger.

"Welcome to the Detention Gang!"

Adrianna burst out laughing for the first time in days.

"You guys haven't seriously named yourselves that have you?" she snickered. "I never thought I'd say it, but I actually prefer 'the Marauders'!"

James and Sirius exchanged mock-hurt looks before grinning at their friend. Filch quickly broke up the laughter by explaining their task for the evening. Slughorn's First Year class had experienced something of a disaster that morning resulting in one of the dungeons being covered in a brownish sludge. By now it had dried and was ready to be cleaned off of all the visible surfaces, by hand of course.

Filch collected their wands outside the door of the dungeon before walking off with a rather smug and satisfied air. Adie pushed open the door tentatively and was relieved to see that the mess was not really as bad as she had anticipated.

Sirius seemed to share her thoughts. "Hey, there's barely any slime in here… There's only a bit on the benches."

"I _bet_ old Sluggers cleaned some of it up! He knew we'd be the ones assigned the slave labour and he couldn't have his precious Adrianna ruin her perfect Potion making hands, could we?"

Adie blushed slightly at what was probably the truth; she, along with both Lily and Em, was a member of the "Slug Club".

The trio – or rather Adrianna - decided the best method was just to get the work done as quickly as possible and so they commenced scrubbing the worn work surfaces straight away.

As they completed their task, though, they did chat somewhat.

"Hey, Adie," James called over to the girl, scouring a particularly stubborn patch of dirt. "Are you still annoyed with me for what I did to Snape?"

Adie paused in her chore for a moment to push some strands of hair out of her face. "Not really. I was at the time – I was beyond furious. Yes, it still irritates me that you would treat _any_ person like that, James, because, regardless of how slimy and pathetic he can be, even Snape is still a person. And you just shouldn't treat anyone with such little respect."

James looked chagrined. "I'm sorry for offending you. And, I suppose, it was quite undeserved. I do feel bad; it's just when I see Evans, I feel this irrepressible urge to snog her. And to impress her."

Sirius snorted at this comment and Adie rolled her eyes.

"You really think she'd be impressed by your inhumane bullying of her friend. Well, ex-friend I think it is now."

James shrugged. "I just feel the need to switch into Alpha-male mode. Plus, Snape is a creepy git. All that Dark magic he does is _not_ cool. I mean, you know he does that shit right?"

Adie was silent. She hadn't figured it out and she felt a burning sense of shame as she realised how obvious it was.

Sirius sat down on the work top Adrianna was cleaning and smiled at her.

"We only know because he tried to use some Dark spell that bloody Malfoy taught him on us. You weren't to know, Adie. I guess it's good you stood up for him really, it was a pretty loyal thing to do."

Sirius' attempt at sincerity was slightly marred by James pretending to swoon behind the pair but Adie didn't seem to notice.

"Yeah," she sighed. "I suppose so, I just feel like such an idiot now."

James continued to lean on the desk behind them, making puppy dog eyes and drawing hearts in the air. Eventually, Sirius lobbed the manky, damp cloth he'd been cleaning with at his mate's scruffy head.

"Oi!" James yelled as the dirty rag hit him full in the face.

Adie whirled round at his yell, noticing him for the first time. Her laughter echoed round the gloomy room at James' indignant expression.

He flicked a handful of soapy water at her in return, leaving Adie spluttering. However, she managed to recover enough to send a lump of the congealed potion all around them flying towards James.

The scuffle continued for several minutes; Sirius joined the fray eventually leading to him and James in a crumpled heap on the floor after their fight got somewhat physical.

"Godric, Padfoot," James exclaimed. "No need to hit me in the balls – Merlin, that hurt!"

Adie giggled loudly as the boys disentangled themselves.

Sirius grinned at the girl as he straightened up. "See, we told you that you were missing out!"

The memory of the detention was still making Adrianna smile as she wheeled her heavy trunk across the platform at Hogsmeade. She hoped that by concentrating on that she could delay the moment of realisation that she was about to have to spend six consecutive weeks with her family.

Adie was so concentrated on blocking out the thought of the coming holiday that she wheeled her luggage trolley straight into another student's.

"Oh, I'm sorry." The two girls said at the same time before looking up to see who they had nearly injured. They broke out into smiles, recognising one another and being so strongly reminded of their first meeting at King's Cross.

However, the smile soon dropped from Lily's face as she remembered the fact that she and Adie had not spoken for three days now.

The redhead appreciated what her best friend had done, knowing that it was an automatic reflex and an attempt to protect Lily. Lily also realised that Severus was not the boy who had been her friend throughout her lonely childhood; he had chosen a different path from her. He had done the very opposite of Adrianna who struggled against her fate. Sev had actively taken that route.

It was time, Lily felt, to accept that Severus was gone now. A part of her would always be his best friend and care for him because he had been there for her when no one else has. But he wasn't going to be there anymore. Adrianna, however, was still here and still smiling hopefully.

Lily grinned back.

"How was your first ever detention?" Lily laughed. "You're still alive and sane so I'll assume Black and Potter were fairly merciful with you!"

Adie's smile widened as she realised that Lily was not angry with her for the events at the Lake. The girls wandered to the train together, cackling loudly at Adie's tale of detention with the boys.

The moment was marred only by the fact that they both knew it would be Adie's last carefree moment for a month. It was time to return back home.

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><p><strong><span>AN:** See! I do write faster with reviews. Thank you all for reviewing the last chapter, it really meant a lot. You've set a great standard; if it was maintained, I would be a very happy girl :')

Anyway, that's it! Fifth Year is over - I'm really looking forward to writing the next chapter.

Let me know what you thought of this one!

Elle xx


	15. Chapter 15: A Summer Correspondence

**Chapter 15:**

_Dearest Adrianna,_

_How are your holidays faring so far? Petunia is being an absolute bore. As you know, she is deigning to speak to me now but she flinches and cowers every time I lean in her direction. It's so over the top and just – ugh! It infuriates me so much and she knows it._

_Also, she's gone and got herself a boyfriend. They've only been dating a few weeks but he is the most horrendous creature I've ever met. Although, I'm not sure where he ranks against the heinous Potter. I've still not forgiven him for the whole Snape incident; that was awful. He's sent me a letter (Potter, that is) – as if I'm going to answer it. Sorry, Adie, I know he's your friend but I can't abide him._

_Anyway, enough of my ranting. How are you? How are your parents? Please, please just come to stay at mine or Em's for a couple of weeks. I know you can't and you won't, I just feel so bad for you trapped in that lonely house for six weeks._

_Tons of love,_

_Lily._

Lovely Lily,

Hah, Petunia doesn't know how lucky she is – she could have had a sister like mine. Seriously, if only we could do a sibling swap. Imagine how much happier our lives would be! Petunia's just jealous, Lily, I'm sure deep down she wishes she could take it all back and go back to how things used to be. At least you two had a period where you were close – or does that just make it harder?

I'm sorry to hear about her beastly boyfriend though, gross. Lily, I can't deny that how James and Sirius acted with Snape made me sick to my stomach but it's not their usual behaviour, I swear. _His_ usual behaviour, on the other hand, is creating Dark spells and hanging out with Malfoy so screw him.

My family, how are things going with my family? How do you think? I hate him, I hate him so much! Bloody Malfoy – how else could my parents know about me hexing Snape or about the fact that I'm friends with James and Sirius?

It was mostly the whole "Friends with a _Potter_?" thing that they reacted the worst too. I think they may have secretly been quite proud of me hitting Snape. It's a Slytherin thing to do, right? Awful, the things I've got to do to gain their approval.

But, yes, they despise the Potters. My mother actually loses her cool façade in order to rant about their "superior, 'oh-so-perfect' attitude'. It's insane. I reckon something went down between my mother and Mrs Potter – my mum's reaction to the very mention of the P-word is unreal. So, I have a few new, rather impressive bruises to show you when we return. Sorry, I know you hate it when I joke about the situation – I just can't see any way to change it or make it better. I think the way my family feel about me is the one thing I have managed to accept about my life.

Depressing moment over. Have you heard from Em? She hasn't written to me yet and I miss her!

Love,

Adie.

P.S. Send me a copy of the letter James sent you? It'll give me a good laugh!

_Hey Adie!_

_Greetings from Bordeaux – that's in France, by the way, you uneducated halfwit. Lily told me to write to you, sorry I forgot I've just been busy reading… She also told me to tell you that under no circumstances is anyone to read the words that "foul Potter boy" sent her. I'll tell you that we can just wrestle it out of her once we get back to school._

_It's horribly hot here and I miss the overcast weather in England although I never thought I'd say it. Plus, we're staying at a Muggle resort and my parents won't let me read any obviously magical books in public; how do they expect me to complete all my summer reading in time for school? Ugh._

_I hope you're well. I never know what to say to you, Adie. I love you and it hurts to see you hurt. I wish there was something we could do to help you; you really don't have to endure this stuff. You really don't, Adie. We ignore this problem going on in your life all the time but it's such a huge thing. It is _not_ okay and it's not something that 'just happens' in life. _

_Emotional rant over, write back soon. The owl will know where to find me (I feel like a fugitive, writing that down)._

_Love you,_

_Emmy._

Emmeline Vance!

One, how could you forget to write to _me_, the most fabulously wonderful person you know? And two, I know where Bordeaux is, you condescending cow. Pah. Three, Evans better fear us – we will discover her secrets (or I could just ask James what he wrote?). Four, only you would be blessed enough to spend a few weeks in sunny south of France and waste it reading. Five, you set that list of summer books for _yourself_. Loser (and yes, I do realise I did exactly the same but it's not like I have anything better to do).

Em, I don't know if I'll ever be able to describe my messed up family dynamic to you. My parents, they don't want to hurt me and they don't hate me. They are not cruel people. They are just so disappointed in me; they don't know how to make me be everything they expect me to be. The violence is the only thing they know to do, it's what they were raised with (although I doubt they ever did much to warrant it). I can always see the pain in their faces every time.

The worst thing is, I suppose, that I can never really resent them for it. I love them so much and I would do anything to make them proud, if I could. I just can't though, I can't be the daughter they want. There's a part of me that wishes I wasn't the way I was although I've been blessed with such great friends as you and the Marauders. It would just have made my life a lot easier and I just wish my parents _liked_ me more. Isn't that awful?

I don't really want to talk about it much more, I already wrote to Lily about the situation too. I just want to live for today.

I love you too,

Adie.

_Adie-kins,_

_It is your beloved James here, I bet you're missing me so much! I am positively wasting away without you, my Slytherin princess. I cannot live without my life, I cannot live without my soul! Moony keeps giving me these Muggle books to read; Sirius keeps telling me they're girls' books. I don't really care, Heathcliff is one scary guy._

_Anyway, how's your holiday going? I am clearly bored to bits, hence my writing to you. As if I would ever voluntarily write something unless it was the last thing between me and dying of boredom! Although, I'm probably having a better time than you – shut up in a stuffy mansion with your snotty sister and your scary parents. It must be so dull._

_Tell me, how many awful pure-blood events have you had to go to? Have you seen Sirius at any? Please get pics of him in dress robes, I'd die laughing! Have you had to dance with anyone super creepy like Avery or Nott? Gross. _

_Much love,_

_James._

_P.S. Lily told me that on no accounts was I to tell you what I wrote to her a couple of weeks ago. Which is a shame because I was really proud of the poem bit. It was great. I've been feeling really inspired after reading that Jane's stuff. Classic._

James,

I _may_ have just puked a little in my mouth. Never, ever refer to me as your "Slytherin princess" again, for the sake of my sanity. No, fool, I am not missing you or your utter insanity at all. Well, maybe a teeny, tiny bit…

And you are right, there is no way on this Earth that you could be having a worse time than me! Callie is driving me mad, she's so sniffy and condescending. Don't even get me started on the "events", as you so kindly phrased them. I'd be more inclined to use the words "living" and "hell" (and no, I haven't seen the older Mr Black at any of them).

I've already been dragged to a couple of balls and the Malfoys themselves are holding some horrendous event in a week's time. I am dreading it – I don't know _how_ Sirius gets out of going to these monstrosities. I wish I knew his secret.

Now James, it is time for me to revert to begging mode. The bit about a poem has dragged this conversation out of the post-scripts. GIVE ME THE LETTER. Please! Or else I'll spoil the end of _Sense and Sensibility _for you…

Much loving for you,

Adie.

_Dear Adie,_

_I'm guessing that James has neglected to write you back? I haven't heard from him in a week, he must have found something to occupy his time. Which is nice for some – I, however, am still finding my holidays rather dull._

_My parents are so overprotective. They don't seem to understand that apart from 'that time of the month', I live a completely normal life. They treat me like a complete invalid. I suppose that really I shouldn't be so ungrateful; they only do it because they care._

_Oh yes, in James' last letter he did mention your long list of engagements for the summer. I do hope you aren't suffering too badly – a ball at Malfoy Manor sounds quite appalling. _

_Speak to you soon,_

_Remus_

Hello Remus,

No, I haven't heard from James either. He's probably off writing more love letters for Lily, poor bloke! He's not going to be getting a favourable response from her anytime soon – she's in a foul mood over Petunia's new boyfriend and James still isn't forgiven about the whole Snape-incident.

Actually, all these balls aren't too bad; they get me out of that house at least. Reg and Cissy keep me entertained (I know you aren't exactly their biggest fans, but they really are good friends to me). However, Cissy does have to spend most of her time dancing with that insufferable blond git which does mar the atmosphere somewhat. Reg is an absolute star though; he always makes sure I'm having an alright time.

Malfoy Manor _was_ appalling because of the amount the arsehole was showing Narcissa off like some prize pony he'd just purchased. It made me feel quite sick.

Anyway, only a just over a week left and then I'm back at _proper_ home!

Until then,

Adie.

_ADRIANNA GREENGRASS!_

_I am in such shock right now! I can't believe he's actually done it – amazing, he's kind of grown in my estimation after this… But more importantly, what are you going to do now? I mean, doesn't this open up a world of opportunity to you if Sirius has managed to get away with it?_

_God, like I said, complete shock._

_Lily._

Evans,

What the hell are you talking about? Breathe and then resume story.

Adie.

_Adie,_

_Have you not heard? I would have thought Sirius would have written to you too, or James at least; this is kind of big news, especially for you. _

_Sirius has run away from home. He has left the Black house forever. As in, his mother's blasted him off the family tree and disowned him and everything. He's living with James now. He's _free_._

_You could do it too. You should do it too. If he can do it, so can you. Funny that he didn't write to you._

_See you soon._

_Lily._

Adie folded the already crumpled not one more time before placing it back in the drawer of her desk. It had arrived a week ago; today was the last day of the summer holidays.

Yes, a week had passed and yet Adrianna could still not sort out the mess of emotions she felt. Primarily, she thought it was a sort of scared happiness. Did this really create opportunities for her? Would it be possible for her to make a similar escape? The thought made Adie feel shaky and nauseous, yet excited at the same time.

Also, as much as she tried to deny it to herself, there was a sense of hurt underlying all of this. Hurt and confusion; why would Sirius not write to her to let Adie know of this huge development? She thought their friendship had advanced – that he would know how much of an impact an act like that could have on her situation.

Adie continued to wonder whether it had all gone wrong between her and Sirius or if she was just reading too much into his silence as she continued to pack.

Oh well, she thought grimly as she chucked a Slytherin tie at her trunk, I suppose I'll find out tomorrow…

* * *

><p><strong><span>AN**: I hope this format is clear to everyone? Let me know in reviews (because of course you're going to leave me one - right? :) )

I'm sorry about the (potential) spanner in the works here for Sirius and Adie but the course of true love never did run smooth...

Please do review and I'll try to get the next chapter up asap but as ever, I drown in work :'(

Much love,

Elle xxxxxx


	16. Chapter 16: Not The Same

**A/N:** Last time on The Grass Is Always Greener: Adrianna discovers through Lily that Sirius has run away from home. She's confused by why he sisn't tell her himself. In this chapter, Adie tries to get some answers...

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><p><strong>Chapter 16:<strong>

Adrianna bid her sister a brief adieu before making her way on to the Hogwarts Express; today Adie had no time for social pleasantries – she would not waste her time with _those_ people. She all knew what they'd be talking about, especially when she arrived, and Adrianna still wasn't confident enough to give a blasé response to any barbed comments just yet. Her fellow Slytherins would absolutely die of glee if they found out that Adrianna hadn't even been told about Sirius' running away.

On the bright side though, Adie thought, Lucius has left school now, and mad, bad Bellatrix. That would certainly make Adrianna's life easier.

So instead of facing a humiliating interrogation on Sirius and his summer adventure, Adie set off to find Em and Lily for a less judgemental and embarrassing discussion of events.

They had bagged a carriage all for themselves, lording their Sixth Year authority over the poor junior years. Adie joined them, bestowing hugs upon her friends gratuitously.

And they did not disappoint her on the gossip-front; she had barely sat herself down when Em launched straight into the topic.

"Why, what, how, details _now._"

"Surely you're not so desperate for gossip that you couldn't have spent five more seconds on that sentence, making it coherent?" Lily laughed, enjoying the luxury and power of knowledge.

Adie shifted impatiently, joining Em in her eagerly leant forward pose. "Come on, Lily, quit holding out on us!"

The redhead giggled to herself before receiving two sharp blows to her person. Her smug smile turned into an indignant frown as she looked at her attackers-cum-friends.

"Carry on like that I shan't tell you anything!"

"Aw, please," Adie snuggled up to Lily, mock-pleading with her. "We're sorry for hitting you; can you tell us the juicy gossip now?"

Lily shifted to face her best friends, ready to tell the story with its due theatricality.

"Oh, before you begin, I meant to ask you: what exactly was it that you had to do to James to get this information?" Em winked lasciviously and Adie burst into giggles again as Lily's unamused frown slid back into place.

"That's not appropriate or funny, guys!" Lily's severe tone just made the other two laugh even harder. "And anyway, after James sent me a note telling me what went on I wrote to Sirius directly and he told me everything."

"Nice and direct and completely tactless?"

"Whatever, Em, I got you your gossip, didn't I?"

Em grinned and waited for her story.

"Although, I was kind of underwhelmed," Lily sighed. "I say I got all the details but to be honest, Sirius didn't say an awful lot. James says that even he doesn't even know what really went on."

This news cheered Adie up somewhat; at least she wouldn't be the only one completely in the dark. But then again, everyone else had been sent a note about what had happened. Adrianna was pretty annoyed that Sirius hadn't let her know about everything but she was positively enraged about James' silence.

"Basically, he just turned up on James' doorstep at midnight with a huge bag. He was all apologetic and swore he'd only stay for a night but James realised that he didn't really have anywhere else to go. So, James' parents said it was alright for Sirius to move in with them, if his parents really weren't going to have him back."

Em wrinkled her nose. "So, _why_ did he leave? I didn't think things were that bad for him – not as bad as things are for Adie at any rate? Was there some sort of trigger?"

Lily shrugged once more. "Like I said, no details. Not on that front anyway. However, I do know that he has been completely disowned by his family – his mother blasted his name off of their family tree. The Slytherins are probably going to give him hell at school; he can't have seen any of them since he left."

"Lucky bugger," Adie commented, absentmindedly reaching to inspect the new bracelet on Emmeline's wrist. "And anyway, it won't be that bad – Lucius and Bellatrix have gone now. They've lost their leader."

"We'll just have to see, won't we?"

The whole school (or at least, the whole year) it seemed was talking about Sirius' escape from the House of Black. Yet no one knew anything more than Lily – unheard of, for the infallible Hogwarts' gossip mill.

Although James and Remus sent huge grins and waves in Adie's direction, she decided it was best not to attempt to broach the subject just yet; she would bide her time until they had a lesson together. She was fairly confident she would get some details out one of the boys; unless, that is, James had actually been telling the truth when he claimed not to know any details of Sirius' familial problems.

And in any case, Adrianna's attention was entirely consumed for the moment with trying to listen into the Slytherins' views on the matter.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later; we all knew he was pretty much gone. I don't think there was anything we could have done to drag him back. He was never really in our control." Narcissa delivered her blunt and detached analysis first. Her casual talk of "controlling" people made Adie shiver; is that what they tried to do to her? She hated how cold Narcissa sounded.

Avery shrugged. "He's a Blood Traitor of the highest order - something should be done about it."

Regulus, who had previously been sitting silent further down the table, suddenly spoke up. "He's already been disowned and had to leave his family. I think that's probably enough."

Nott and Avery stared at Regulus incredulously and Adie sighed internally. She agreed with Reg, of course, but he was a fool to speak his feelings aloud.

"_Had_ to leave his family? He's the one who made the decision to leave! And now he has to face the consequences." Nott's voice as he spoke of consequences was indifferent and harsh. Adrianna shivered again.

Reg looked away again. His voice was small and his words just a mutter. Only Adie heard what he said. "It must have been hard for him though, no matter how much he hates us."

Those words stuck with Adie throughout the rest of the day. By Transfiguration the next day, all of her anger towards James and Sirius had completely dissolved. It must have been _so _hard for Sirius to leave his family – Adie knew, deep down, that she'd never be able to do what he'd done.

And so it was with love and forgiveness in heart that Adrianna went into the Transfiguration classroom that morning. By the time she exited the classroom, her heart was filled with something more akin to annoyance and frustration.

Not once during that lesson, had Sirius deigned to throw Adie even the smallest of glances or smiles or any form of interaction whatsoever. That said, he had caught her eye once and immediately returned Adrianna's smile with a surly scowl. She was completely and utterly bemused.

"Hey, Sirius," She wasn't going to give up. Adie called out to him as the class ended and the students began to flood out of the room. Remus and the others didn't bother to wait, flashing Adie smiles and offering promises of holiday catch-ups at break.

Sirius, on the other hand, retained his moody look as he turned to Adrianna's call.

"What?"

Adie was stung slightly by this abrupt greeting but pressed on regardless. "Hey, you know what I'm talking about. You did it, you left it all behind. I can't believe it."

Her words were met with silence. The dark haired boy had not stopped for the conversation and his female companion had to stride quickly down the corridors to match his pace.

"It must have been really hard. I don't think I could have done it." Adie tried instead to offer some tentative words of comfort; maybe the whole ordeal of having to leave his family was getting to him more than he was letting on?

Her words certainly had an effect, although not the one she was expecting or desiring.

"No, _you_ most certainly wouldn't have done it." Sirius' tone was harsh and icy. He stopped walking abruptly, turning to observe Adie disdainfully.

She blinked in surprise. "I just meant that despite everything, they're your family and it must have been very hard to just cut them out of your life like that."

"That's exactly your problem, Greengrass," Adie's stomach sunk as he spat out her surname. How had they managed to get back to square one again so quickly? "At the end of the day, family's always going to win for you."

"Win over what?" Adrianna exclaimed, riled by Sirius' unforgiving tone. "I don't understand this battle or contest you seem to have created in your head for me: my family versus what, exactly?"

Sirius sighed heavily. He had not raised his voice once; he only seemed resigned and frustrated.

"The battle, which if you're not facing now you will face at some point, of your family and their wishes and pride versus what is right. What you really want and who you really are.

"I've seen now, for myself, that you _are_ a good person and you don't _want_ to do the things your family and peers do. But you'll end up doing them anyway, because you'll do anything to please them and gain their approval."

Adie shook her head and tried to voice some disagreement but she was struck by the truth of his analysis.

"I realised, as I left, that you would never be able to do it. Yeah, it killed me. And you, you aren't willing to disobey your family. It's a damn shame."

Adrianna wanted so badly to deny his words but she just couldn't.

Instead she heard herself quaveringly ask, "But we're still friends, right?"

Sirius just gave her a sad look and walked away.

"We're not the same, Adie, at all."

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><p><strong><span>AN: **I'M SO SO SORRY FOR THE LACK OF UPDATES. I've been away recently plus I've had a ton of work. I swear, the next chapter will come quicker. Despite teh fact that it's NaNoWriMo so I'm going to be hell busy... Oh well!

If you want updates of my NaNoWriMo-ing (National Novel Writing Month) chekc out my tumblr (link on user profile)!

Elle xx


	17. Chapter 17: Familial Discord

**Chapter 17:**

They were back to square one. She would hang out with Remus, James and Peter while Sirius just sat there sullenly through all the jokes and laughter. Adie could tell that the other Marauders didn't understand what had gone wrong. Adie's problem was that she couldn't figure out how to make things right.

Lily and Em would bad mouth Sirius to their friend, but Adrianna knew that he didn't really deserve it. She wasn't sure that _anyone_ was in the wrong; Sirius was right, they were just very different people. There was no point in trying to deny or change that.

The thought made Adrianna feel quite hollow and unspeakably sad inside.

Yet life carried on. The next Transfiguration lesson, McGonagall had an announcement.

"Students, you are now in your NEWT years and will, or should," Minerva lowered her glasses at this point to survey her class critically. "Be thinking about job opportunities."

Adie's head shot up at her professor's words; any information about jobs could be the lifeline Adrianna was searching for!

McGonagall continued her speech. "You should all be aware that good grades alone will not get you into the best jobs or further education schemes on offer. You need to show you are a well-rounded individual who can offer _more_ to a company."

Adrianna and Lily exchanged interested looks; both were quite determined workers and keen for a chance to distinguish themselves from the other students. Adie could feel her Slytherin ambition coming into play.

"This year we are offering a tutoring scheme in which you, our NEWT level Transfiguration students, will be paired with an OWL student in order to aid their studies.

"This will demonstrate to potential employers your leadership skills and also consolidate your Transfiguration knowledge. Tutor sessions will occur in this classroom, every Wednesday at seven o'clock. Speak to me after the lesson if you wish to be a mentor."

Adie, Lily and Em were naturally a part of the group hanging around after the bell rang and McGonagall had dismissed the rest of the class. However, Adrianna was surprised to see the Marauders also amongst the crowd who had remained behind in order to sign up.

Remus caught Adie's inquisitive look; he and Peter sauntered over to chat with her, leaving a slightly uncomfortable looking James and Sirius at their desks.

"How did you manage to con them," Adie nodded towards James and Sirius. "Into doing this? It is extra-work after all – I thought that went against everything they stood for in life?"

Remus laughed and Peter replied, "Actually, it wasn't too hard. They put on this blasé attitude but in reality, they're both pretty set on being Aurors after school."

"Wow," Em remarked. "They'd better work hard then. It's a tough industry, I'd heard."

Remus and Lily nodded sagely at Em's words. Adie felt slightly uncomfortable as she realised with a jolt that the people they wanted to dedicate their lives to hunting down, were probably the people she'd grown up with. It was the first time it had really hit her: the boys she'd learnt her lessons with and the children she'd played with, at dull, grown-up dinners, were most-likely future "Death-Eaters".

She was pulled out of her depressing reverie by McGonagall beginning the talk and noting down the names of the students present. Their first tutoring session would be next Wednesday.

When the three girls entered the classroom at seven pm sharp, their professor explained the set-up to them briefly.

"Here's the list of students needing tutoring; the one beside your name is your specific partner. You can either study here or in the Library for an hour. Feel free to consult one another if you need to."

Adie swept her eyes down the list in Lily's hands and was happy to see Regulus was her partner for the project. She was glad of the chance to spend more time with her friend and was pleased she wouldn't have to worry about the awkwardness of trying to break the ice.

The blonde sat herself down at a desk and waited for her friend, and now pupil, to arrive.

"Hey, Adrianna!" Reg swung into the empty seat beside her, his voice full of friendly enthusiasm. "So you're my mentor, eh? That's so cool. Looks like I got the best of the best; I was worried I'd get some second rate tutor but clearly not."

Adie laughed loudly at her friend's flattery and nudged him in rebuke. "I'm really not that good at Transfiguration." She muttered.

Regulus raised an eyebrow as he tugged his textbook out of his bag. "Didn't you get an O?"

Adrianna smiled sheepishly, silently admitting that this was in fact true. Regulus chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"Well then, Miss Modesty, shall we start?" he joked.

"I suppose we shall," Adie replied, smirking.

The pair began to flick through the textbook, Adie explaining various concepts to Regulus with expressive hand gestures; Reg with a look of intent concentration, his eyes fixed on Adie. Every now and then, their serious air would be broken with some sort of joke and a burst of muffled giggling.

The two of them were so wrapped up in their friendship, unused to being able to spend time so freely together without having to check their emotions in front of their Slytherin peers. They were so engrossed that neither of them saw the looks Sirius was sending them.

His partner for the project was a sandy haired Hufflepuff boy who had spent most of the session sitting with his arms crossed, in front of the unopened textbook.

"Excuse me, but are you going to teach me _anything_ this lesson?"

Sirius dragged his eyes away from the blonde head and black head leaning so close together, laughing conspirators, and looked in confusion at the younger boy. For a moment Sirius forgot who he was and why he was there; he had been far too intent on watching his little brother's shameless flirting. Sirius' real obsession, however, lay in trying to figure out if these feelings were being reciprocated by Adrianna. He was still at a loss.

"Um, yeah. What do you want to know about?" Sirius ran a hand through his hair, still completely distracted.

The Hufflepuff boy screwed up his nose. "Well, I got pretty stuck on Vanishing Spells last lesson. Can you do them?"

Sirius' frustration with his brother and Adie was growing. "Of course I can! I passed _my_ bloody OWL, didn't I?"

The boy blinked in surprise at his mentor's vehement reaction. Sirius groaned and apologised quickly. He leant forward to find the relevant chapter in the kid's textbook, deciding to forget about whatever was occurring behind him and to commit to the task at hand.

His resolve did not last long.

Another peal of delighted laughter had Sirius' head whipping round at lightning speed. Adrianna's lips were curved into a wide grin, her eyes creased with laughter. But worst of all she was leant in towards his brother, one hand on his shoulder and her thick curtain of hair almost brushing his face. Sirius could feel inexplicable rage bubbling in the pit of his stomach.

He so desperately didn't want to feel this way.

"Oi! Could you quit lusting after the blonde and help _me_?" The boy's voice was an indignant squeak in the face of his tutor's negligence.

Sirius might have responded somewhat civilly if he hadn't noticed, in that moment, the casual, proprietary way Regulus' hand rested on the small of Adie's back.

"No, you whingey little bastard, I'm not going to be teaching you shit-all today."

And with that growled response, Sirius strode out of the room leaving his young pupil rather shell-shocked and the rest of the class very curious.

The only people who didn't notice were Adie and Reg, still caught up in each other's laughter.

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><p><strong><span>AN:** So, just how long can I keep this speedy updating going for? Not long, I'll bet considering NaNoWriMo starts tomorrow and this chapters completion was bascially my way of procrastinating my huge pile of work!

Anyway, I am enjoying writing this drama! Hope you're enjoying reading it too :) Let me know with a review? ;)

Love to you all,

Elle xx


	18. Chapter 18: Looking for a Date

**Chapter 18:**

Adrianna wandered up to Transfiguration from breakfast with a big grin on her face and Regulus Black by her side. He was reciting some anecdote about the family's eccentric House Elf.

"I should introduce him to Gillie, she's our Elf. She's absolutely lovely and I bet she'd kill to hear the secret behind his French onion soup recipe!" Adie laughed, thinking of her friend.

Reg smiled and nodded. "Yeah, Kreacher's a funny thing but I like him. It's Sirius that has an issue with hi-,"

The younger boy broke off suddenly, realising that he was talking about his now estranged brother. He missed him _so badly_ although Reg tried his hardest to quash these feelings. In many ways, he was just like Adrianna.

Sirius had asked him, before he left, if Regulus would come with him. He hadn't been able to leave his family – and he told his older brother this. But he did give Sirius a night's head-start, not warning his parents that their son had run away and feigning innocence the next morning.

Yet, with this sadness and pain, came a new happiness. He and Adie had always been friends to an extent; polite and cordial and allies, if needed - friends by the Slytherin definition. Now they had something more… Regulus couldn't define what it was; he'd just felt himself open up to her in a way he had never done before.

Maybe it's because he needed someone now. He and Sirius hadn't been too close the past few years, for obvious reasons, but he had always been _there_. Not only that, Reg realised with a heart wrenching suddenness, but he's lost his way out.

Now he was trapped with his family forever. So was Adie, she understood him in an unspoken way. They were the same.

"Anyway, Mr Regulus, I'll have to leave you here. I've got to keep up with _my_ Transfiguration work if you want any decent tutoring!" She smiled her sunny smile at him before waving as she spun into the classroom, returning James' greeting enthusiastically.

Regulus scowled sourly at the bear-hug Potter had enveloped his friend in. He turned away abruptly and headed to his lesson, trying to get the image of the two embracing out of his head. He did not want to dwell on that.

The Transfiguration lesson passed amiably with Adie sitting next to Em, levitating notes across the room to James.

Her attention was, however, captured by the teacher, when McGonagall paused her lecture five minutes before the end of class. It seemed she had another announcement.

"In one month's time, as I'm sure you are all aware, it is Halloween," McGonagall began her speech in clipped tones. "We shall be holding a Ball for Fifth Years and above. You may bring a date, formal dress robes are required. Please, do _not_ attempt to bring any alcoholic substances to the celebrations as any sort of inebriated behaviour will not be tolerated."

With that, the professor dismissed her now rather excitable class. As the students poured out of the room, Em nudged her two best friends.

"How exciting!" She trilled. "We have to do some serious dress shopping this weekend. Do you think a coral dress would suit my colouring?"

"I'd go with a dark purple, more dramatic," said Lily decisively. "Who do you reckon we'll go with though – that's the key question!"

Adie rolled her eyes. "Well, we all know who's going to ask _you_, Lils. You should just say yes; he's a nice guy. Give him a chance, eh?"

The redhead snorted derisively and shook her head. Adie and Em exchanged glances of frustration.

The trio continued their discussions on colour palettes and dates throughout their Charms lesson too. The whole school was abuzz about the dance: the younger years were desperately trying to cadge dates from the older students; girls were planning out outfits, make-up, and hair; boys were attempting to find the courage to ask out their desired dates.

Sirius had never had a problem with asking girls out before and this unfamiliarity was making his already confusing situation even worse. When old Minnie had said that they could "bring a date", his mind had leapt to one girl in particular.

But he could _never_ ask her out! Sirius didn't even _want_ to like her, so why couldn't he stop thinking about Adrianna Greengrass? Shit.

It had only just hit him, that the strange emotions she inspired in him were romantic… How had this happened? Sirius couldn't understand.

However, there was one thing Sirius was certain about: it wouldn't last. He would make sure of that. He would not ask her out, he would not think of her, he would completely forget this little epiphany and go back to pretty much ignoring her.

But I'd rather it was me dating her than my brother, Sirius thought to himself. Oh Merlin.

He put his plan into action straight away, stalking off when Adie came to join Remus, Peter, and James at lunchtime by the Lake. The others watched him storm off in confusion.

"Did I do something wrong, _again_?" Adie sighed as she sat down.

Remus laughed. "Um, not that I know of – although it doesn't take much for you to piss off Sirius, to be honest."

"Yeah, maybe you breathed wrong in Potions or something?" James yawned.

Adie laughed along with the boys, but she hated Sirius' mood-swings. She never knew where she stood with him and that annoyed her.

They spent the next forty minutes discussing tactics with James, on how best to ask Lily out. They reached the eventual conclusion that it was just going to be a "no" whatever way he did it. James seemed quite resigned to this fact now.

"Hey, Moons," Peter said. "Who are you going to ask?"

Remus thought for a second. "You know, that's a good question. I can't really think of a girl that I want to ask, you know, romantically. So, I don't know – I'm kind of stuck. Yourself, Mr Pettigrew?"

Peter fidgeted slightly. "Well, Adie, I was wondering if maybe Emmeline would go with me, if I asked her?"

Adie smiled widely; Peter was quite cute and well-considered by the girls of Hogwarts. "I'm sure she would, Pete."

The boy grinned in relief and James clapped him on the back.

"Hey," Remus looked up as though he'd just thought of something. "Adie, do you want to go with me? I mean, if you actually want to go with someone that you _like_, or whatever then that's cool. I just thought we're probably in the same boat."

"Nah, that's a great idea," Adrianna smiled back at her friend. "Trust me, I'm not waiting on any guy to sweep me off my feet – I'd rather go with my best mate."

"Aw, bless the both of you," James murmured from his place relaxed on the grass.

When the boys trooped back up to their dorm after lunch, they found Sirius on his bed and engrossed in a textbook on Charms.

He looked up as they entered the room and smiled at them as if nothing odd had happened.

"Alright, mate?" James asked, somewhat warily.

"Yeah, I was just thinking I might ask that pretty Ravenclaw girl to the Ball. What's her name? Julie?" Sirius sounded completely casual.

James shot a confused look at Remus, who shrugged in return. "Well, Pete's going to ask Em and Remus is going with Adie."

"Uh, as friends, you know – just friends!" Remus wasn't sure why he felt the need to mention this fact so vehemently. Maybe he'd imagined it, but Remus thought he'd seen a momentary flicker of something in Sirius' eyes when he heard about his asking Adie out. A slight fist clench and a little tension in the shoulders.

But it was probably nothing.

Sirius felt slightly nauseous. Did Remus like her? No, Sirius knew he was just being a paranoid idiot. He needed to ask that hot Ravenclaw out and forget all about Adie. Regulus was welcome to her, it was for the best really.

Regulus took a very deep breath. They were studying in the Library this week, alone; it was a perfect opportunity.

"Hey, Adrianna," he started, clearing his throat slightly. The girl looked up from his essay that she was proof-reading. "I was wondering if you wanted to go with me to the Ball, as my date?"

Adrianna smiled at her friend softly and Reg could tell just from that one motion, that it was bad news.

"Sorry, Reg, but I've already got a date. Next time, eh?"

"Yeah, that's cool."

As she left the study session that evening, Adie was thinking about Regulus' offer. It was very different from the way Remus had asked her. This hadn't sounded so… friendly.

Adie's stomach clenched a little with the thought. Nope, no way, she thought. Don't be an idiot, Adrianna, he _can't _like you. Just forget it.

But Adie knew the truth really, and she felt horribly guilty for not returning his feelings, but there were just no romantic notions on her part. Not for that Black brother anyway.

* * *

><p><strong><span>AN:** Look at me updating with such speed - it must be because you're all being so fantastic with your reviewing! Seriously, so much love to everyone reading and I'm so glad you're enjoying it :)

Carry on letting me know what you think!

Elle xx


	19. Chapter 19: Having A Ball

**RECAP:** There's a Ball at Hogwarts! Adie's going with Remus, although Reg also asked her. Sirius wasn't happy about this as he realised he too had feelings for Adie. However, he's trying to push these aside as he really doesn't want to feel this way...

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><p><strong>Chapter 19:<strong>

Em beamed at her two best friends as she finally came down to meet them in the Entrance Hall that Saturday.

"Excuse my lateness, ladies," the blonde grinned. "But I got held up by Peter on my way down – he asked me to the Ball!"

Adie and Lily squealed at an appropriately loud volume, hugging their friend excitedly. Lily had snatched at an offer from Davey Gudgeon before poor James even had a chance to ask her, and Adie was still going with Remus. The trio were off to Hogsmeade to buy their dresses for the Ball; almost every Hogwarts female had the same idea and the local Madam Malkin's was packed by the time they arrived.

Adie grumbled under her breath; she was not a big shopping fan, unlike her two best friends. She had been forced to endure far too many expeditions to Diagon Alley with her mother to ever be able to find any pleasure in the act of shopping. The mass of squealing and cooing girls didn't serve to improve Adrianna's mood any further.

She was dragged out of this simmering rage by Lily indicating a rack of dresses in one of the, relatively, emptier corners of the shop. The trio tried to scramble their way over to their desired dresses but the heaving mass of other female students, all eager to find their perfect gown, would not let them pass.

Eventually, frustrated by the stubborn crowds, Adie leant over and hissed at a crowd of Fourth Years, "_Out_ of my way".

Her inner-Slytherin must have reared its head because the girls scattered quickly after that, allowing Adrianna to sweep through the throng with Em and Lily in her wake.

Emmeline cleared her throat as they reached the dresses. "Well, that was… impressive, Adie."

The other blonde pulled a face. "They were pissing me off – I despise shopping."

Lily laughed at her friend's distaste for one of _her_ favourite activities. Within seconds she had discarded half the dresses on the rail and had given Em three to try on, Adie two and was currently holding up a cream dress against herself.

"You two get trying, I'll meet you in the changing rooms in a moment…"

"Sir, yes, sir!" Em saluted Lily, before following Adie into the cubicles.

Adrianna walked into her dressing room with a sense of great trepidation. This place was not a friendly territory for her; she'd spent so many hours staring into these mirrors, hating what she saw looking back at her. A girl she didn't recognise stuffed into the clothes her mother liked and approved of. Hideous dresses for formal balls, skirts and sweaters – all Adie wanted to wear was jeans and a t-shirt.

So it was with a fair amount of surprise that Adie realised that she really liked this dress. It was quite a momentous occasion for Adrianna Greengrass, to like a dress. Not only that, but the dress was green! Adie wondered if she'd been sucked into an alternate universe…

But it really was beautiful, the gown Lily had picked out. From the moment she put it on, the other coral dress just faded into the background. It was a gorgeous piece of clothing and Adie felt so comfortable and right in it. It was a million miles away from the stuffy frocks she was forced into by her parents.

Adie swanned out of her cubicle, in her plain clothes once more, with a rather triumphant and satisfied air. She heaved herself into a chair to wait for Em and Lily but as she did so, Adie spotted Narcissa across the corridor wearing the most stunning sapphire gown. It shocked Adrianna, the strength of Cissy's beauty. Adie had felt quite pretty when she'd looked in the mirror, wearing her earthy green dress; everyone in any sort of proximity to Narcissa just paled in comparison.

The dress was lovely, a floor-length deep blue skirt and a blue bodice covered in black beaded detailing. It was exquisite but nothing compared to Narcissa herself, with shimmering hair curling over one shoulder and her eyes, for once, sparkling with animation and happiness.

Adie skirted her way over to her friend, creeping up behind her and whispering, "You look amazing, absolutely stunning! Lucius will love it."

Narcissa turned around to greet her best friend, her smile turning into a jokey grimace. "Well, it's not really for him. You know I like to dress up, this is just another excuse, eh?"

Adrianna laughed, about to reply when her attention was grabbed by someone else calling her name. Emmeline and Lily, radiant in their dresses, were waving to her from the end of the corridor. Adie joined them, bidding Narcissa goodbye as she went. Em looked as incredible as Lily had predicted in a deep bella donna gown, simple and elegant. Lily was equally as resplendent in her cream gown. Adie silently praised Madam Malkin for her exquisite range of robes; as easy as this shopping trip had been, Adrianna was still looking forward to retreating to the Three Broomsticks…

It wasn't until three weeks later that Adrianna even had to think about the Ball again. She felt completely sorted and prepared – it wasn't until Friday night that she began to panic. Lily casually flung herself into the chair next to Adie in the Library, before bombarding her Slytherin friend with a barrage of questions.

"Have you decided how you're going to do your make-up for tomorrow? I've got a gorgeous eye shadow you could borrow – it'll go with your dress and bring out the little bit of green in your eyes. What about hair? Up or down? Em's got a nice clip you could pin back part of it with…"

Adrianna stared at Lily in horror. She hadn't even considered all of that; she'd just been planning to chuck on her clothes and go. Instead Lily decided to take control and so it was that Adie found herself on Saturday afternoon forbidden to move whilst the redhead poked at her face with various brushes and tugged at her hair somewhat painfully.

However, even Adie had to admit that when Lily whipped out a mirror to show her the final result, it was all worth it. She just looked… right. Instead of all the silly things her mother did to her, trying to make her paler and more like some sort of statue – like Narcissa or Bellatrix – Lily had emphasised Adie's natural features. Her face was warm, her eyes stood out with the brown and olive green hues Lily had used. Her hair hung in glossy, honey curls – Em's aforementioned clip pinned back some of her locks, letting the rest fall over her shoulders. For once, Adrianna actually felt quite pleased with how she looked.

James, naturally, wolf-whistled in a rather lairy manner as Adie descended the stairs into the Entrance Hall; Remus took the more subtle approach, taking Adie's arm as she reached the bottom of the steps and whispering in her ear, "You really do look lovely, Adie".

She smiled at the compliments, slightly uncomfortable – she felt much happier watching the way James' face lit up and his eyes just widened as Lily joined them. The hurt in his forced smile, as Davey took her arm, was slightly harder to watch. Instead Adie focused on Emmeline's little blush as Peter led her into the Hall. Adrianna could tell she was going to enjoy tonight; it would be one of the first times she'd spent a night with all of her best friends, having fun together.

Her resolve did waver slightly upon entering the room, dimly lit with mock-bats swooping up in the rafters of the room. Sirius was sat at one of the tables, clearly waiting for his mates. Adie knew he was supposed to be here with Annabelle Percy, from Ravenclaw; wasn't it a little odd that they weren't together? It was only the start of the dance, after all.

Adrianna shook these thoughts from her head as they approached the table. Sirius looked up and grinned at James, clad in his formal robes. His eyes flickered to Adie for a moment before looking away again, resolutely. She felt her heart sink a little at his brief, cursory, judging look and, most of all, his lack of reaction. She felt that buoyant confidence that had lifted her since the afternoon, falter a little.

Maybe he had sensed Adie wavering slightly but, after a quick greeting to Sirius, Remus turned to Adie to ask for a dance. The floor wasn't that busy yet, but Adie welcomed the distraction. For the first time in her life, she felt rather grateful for all of the dancing lessons she'd been put through, and all that practice she'd gained at stiff family balls. This time, Adrianna actually had some fun gliding around the floor, hand-in-hand with her friend.

Remus wasn't quite as elegant as Adie, who wasn't exactly the _most_ graceful to begin with, and so the pair did look somewhat comical as they danced. Yet, the happiness they exuded managed to attract Em and Peter, Lily and Davey, as well as James and his date to the dance floor. As Adie twirled under Remus' arm and into James', she couldn't help but notice Sirius still sitting at the table. Although Annabelle had joined him, they both looked incredibly bored, clutching their butterbeers. Adie smiled to herself and tried to ignore the voice in her head asking why she was so pleased to see the couple having a miserable time.

The rest of the night passed in a happy blur; Adie danced with her three Marauder friends all night, her girls, and even Davey once. She tried her hardest to ignore the death glares the Slytherins were sending her, seeing her in the arms of their sworn enemy Gryffindors. In her haze of happiness, Adie barely even registered their disapproval and annoyance. With Lucius gone, nothing like that seemed to affect her – Adie felt free, for once.

Another thing that went unnoticed by Adrianna, although not by Sirius, was Regulus. He watched her spinning and laughing and twirling all night long, entranced by her. Sirius, determined to keep his eyes firmly off of Adie and her flying gold hair, spent the night glaring at his little brother and despising the lovesick look in his eyes. Deep down, Sirius was just hoping that _he_ never looked like that when he watched Adrianna.

Adrianna collapsed into bed that night, feet aching and absolutely exhausted and yet happier than she'd ever been before in her life. At that moment, she felt untouchable and invincible and like none of the crashing reality of her future could ever touch her. Just for a second, she wasn't Adrianna Greengrass and her future held no darkness or worries – she was just Adie, a teenage girl who'd just had the best night ever.

She was finally happy. How long could this possibly last?

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><p><strong>AN: **I'm back! For updates on how NaNoWriMo went - see my blog (link on my profile) :)  
>I'm so pleased to be back, although I do despise this chapter... The next one's a good'un though. I've been looking forward to writing it for a while so it should be done fairly quick. Also, my holiday break is soon, yay!<p>

Let me know what you thought?

Love to you all,  
>Elle xx<p> 


	20. Chapter 20: A Liability

**Chapter 20:**

As it turns out, Adie's buoyant happiness lasted about a month more. Despite the trouble she was getting from the brothers Black (Sirius seemed no more friendly towards her and Regulus a little _too_ friendly), Adrianna was completely content. A lot of this feeling stemmed from the lack of Lucius and Bellatrix at Hogwarts; Adie felt so much more free. She was at complete liberty to visit who she wanted, when she wanted without fear of backlash from the terrible two, and without worrying about reports of her behaviour being sent back to her parents.

What cut this happiness short was the arrival of the Christmas holidays. As usual, Adrianna was commanded by her parents to return home as opposed to staying at school. There was a slight silver lining in the fact that no one seemed to be staying at Hogwarts for the holidays that year, so Adie hoped she wouldn't miss out on too much.

Sirius, Adie heard from Peter, would be going to the Potters' home in Devon. For the first time, she felt real jealousy at situation. The small sense of liberty that she'd had over the past month or so was gone now – Sirius was going to have that feeling full-time now, and that was turning Adie green with envy. She almost felt as if she was more deserving of this freedom – surely his home life wasn't as bad as hers?

Adrianna was one of the last off of the train, saying her farewells to her friends in the compartment before exiting at a different carriage. She could at least attempt to start the holiday right by not rubbing her "inappropriate" friendships in her parents' faces. And, to be fair, her parents did greet her quite warmly; her mother gave her a very brief, stiff hug and her father clapped her on the shoulder. Callie, already waiting with them, just sneered at her big sister before motioning brusquely at Dave to take her luggage.

Adrianna supposed the reason behind their marginally improved moods were the lack of reports from Lucius, and things like her friendship with Regulus may even have earned her brownie points. It was these times that made Adie's negativity towards her family melt away and reminded her of exactly why she could never do what Sirius had done. It just meant too much to her, to earn even this tiny bit of approval from her parents. She was so eager to please them.

Once they got home, they fell into the old familiar pattern. Things were slightly better, Adrianna felt, something had shifted. However, she couldn't deny that she was still friends with Muggle-borns, and Potters. No one mentioned Sirius' running away; once, when they'd been discussing Regulus Black, the conversation had skirted dangerously close to Sirius and her parents' tension was tangible.

Christmas had passed and a few days after the celebration, Adie received a note from James.

_Adie,_

_We're all meeting in Diagon Alley tomorrow to spend a bit of that Christmas dosh. Fancy meeting us there? I know you might be hard for you to make it, so no problems if you can't join us but it would be great to see you. I miss you!_

_James._

Adrianna scribbled back a quick reply with her apologies; she didn't even bother to ask her parents. It would have involved too much lying and upset the balance, and Adie was pretty content with her familial situation right now. Of course, it was nowhere near perfect or like anything that James, or Remus, or Emmeline had. But it was good, for her.

Naturally, this contentment could not last and its downfall arrived the next morning when Lucille Greengrass announced that she would be taking her daughters shopping to Diagon Alley. Adie tried not to let her panic and frustration show, but public outings with her family never ended well. She could just about survive within the house, yet at balls and in public, open places she would inevitably say or do something that did not fit in with the Greengrass and pure-blood aristocratic etiquette. The added risk of seeing her friends just filled Adrianna with yet more dread.

James, Peter and Sirius were lounging on one of the benches outside Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, devouring a couple of fudge cornets as they waited on Remus, Lily, Peter and Emmeline.

The latter two strolled round the corner, hand-in-hand, with Remus and Lily behind them. Peter and Em looked quite the solid couple, and their togetherness was the reason the Marauders had felt pressed to invite the girls to their jaunt to Diagon Alley in the first place.

Remus shot James and Sirius a smirk as he joined them on the bench; the trio were rather amused to watch Peter with a girl. He was usually by far the least confident with the female of the species, and it was quite nice to finally see him at ease, and with a real girlfriend. Lily sat down next to Remus, purposefully avoiding the space next to James, who smiled at her quickly in greeting before turning back to the remains of his ice-cream. He was really trying to get over her, finally accepting the knowledge that nothing would ever happen between them. He'd decided it would be better this way; James had thought his perseverance might pay off, but evidently not. And, the more he thought about it, was it really that great a feat to get Lily Evans, if it was only because he'd worn her down with years of whining? If he ever did (by some miracle) manage to take her on a date, he'd want it to be because she wanted to as well.

As Sirius too polished off the last of his sundae, the gang departed from Fortescue's, and headed up the cobbled street towards the branch of Zonko's. Even Lily didn't take too much persuading to take a visit to the shop – she may not have liked what the boys used the products for, but she couldn't deny the magical talent behind Zonko's merchandise. They all passed a happy hour in the shop, testing out the tricks on each other with much laughter (and only a little sulking on Lily's part).

Adie was not having such a fun time. After having been forced to try on – and eventually, purchase – several horrible dresses in Madam Malkin's, Lucille had shepherded her two daughters into an upmarket coffee shop. Adrianna was staring sullenly out of the window, picking at the fancy pumpkin pastry in front of her, trying to tune out Callie and her mother's happy babble about their new clothes, and the Nott family ball they were due to go to. She was snapped out of her reverie by a cross whisper from her mother.

"Adrianna! Stop glaring out at the street like that. It creases your whole face up, and it doesn't do you any favours – and you need all the help you can get, frankly." Lucille uttered this criticism bluntly and casually. She didn't really even register that her daughter might possibly be hurt by this comment.

"It doesn't exactly reflect well on us, either. Please, Adrianna, do try a _little_ harder. It's not the most difficult thing in the world, is it? We all have to do it sometimes."

Her mother's last sentence was almost a whisper. Adie didn't have to ask what "it" was; she knew her mother was referring to the Slytherin mask of apathy, the one Narcissa was so famed for. The one that hid all your emotions so well, feelings of boredom, discontent, upset, anger. It also hid your joy, happiness, laughter but that was considered a good thing in the pure-blood world of the Greengrass family. It didn't do to be showing too much enthusiasm.

And, yes, Adrianna agreed: it was very easy to slip into that mask, and quite a relief to numb yourself from feeling, and from emotion. But for Adie, there was an ever present fear that she would not be able to leave the mask behind, like Narcissa again. The blonde found it so hard to laugh, and relax even when it was just her and Adie together – free and unencumbered by the restraints of their society. Adie feared that more than anything else.

However, the look on her mother's face indicated that arguments would not be tolerated. So she deadened herself to it all, feeling her face become politely disengaged. A bored, slightly supercilious played on her lips as her mother returned to the conversation she'd left off with her better daughter, relief on the older woman's face now.

The rest of their stay in the café carried on in much the same manner. A few family friends joined their table: Mrs Lestrange, a Flint, and a Yaxley girl. Adrianna greeted them all coolly and politely, just like her sister. Beneath her façade, she could have sworn she saw Mrs Lestrange shoot Lucille an impressed look, pleasantly surprised by Adrianna's correctness. Internally, Adie hoped this wouldn't make her a potential-wife candidate for either of Mrs Lestrange's unpleasant sons.

Finally, Lucille excused herself and her daughters, and called the excursion to an end. Gillie, who had been waiting patiently outside the café, had organised their Portkey back home, and she was waiting with it outside the Scrivenshaft's shop across the road. Adrianna could feel all eyes still remaining at their table on her as she left the coffee shop; she knew their discussion would be about her unusually good behaviour.

However, they were not the only eyes on her. Sirius had halted the group five minutes ago upon seeing a familiar golden blonde head of hair in the café window. Sirius recognised the coffee shop immediately from torturous Sunday afternoons spent in there as a young child. The rest of the group around him were discussing whether they should try to communicate with Adie, or whether it would be better for her if they just left it.

Sirius, however, was concentrated on her face. Adie's normally radiant, smiling features were unusually disdainful and cool – an expression he was more likely to see on the face of Narcissa or Bellatrix. It gave him a shock to see Adie like that – she looked like a pure-blood, like one of the girls he used to have to dance with at balls and such like. Sirius felt his old annoyance and hatred for her swell back up again, resurfacing from where they had been buried for the past year. In some ways he was glad, it was much better this way. Better than those odd (dare he say it, romantic) feelings he had been experiencing towards her before.

The others had come to the conclusion that it would be best to leave Adie be, for fear of her parents' reactions. They were about to cross the street and continue on their journey towards the Leaky Cauldron when Adie exited the café, behind her mother. Her friends quickly drew back, and waited by the entrance to Zonko's, and making sure their paths did not cross.

Sirius watched Adrianna's passage carefully, his eyes fixed on her. All the grudges he'd held against her, all the reasons he didn't like her came flooding back; she was so easily swayed by her family, that she would end up like the rest of them was inevitable.

Then a very small thing happened. Adie stumbled slightly, catching the heel of her boot in a small pothole in the road. She landed on her hands and knees, laughing slightly to show the passers-by, who had turned in concern that, she was alright. She righted herself, and automatically checked for signs of damage. The hem of her robe had collected some dust from the road, so she picked it up and bent to brush it off again. However as she leant down, her arm was snatched up by her mother, yanking her upright. The others could see from their shadowy spot how tight Mrs Greengrass' grip on her daughter was.

Lucille hissed in her daughter's ear, still dragging her determinedly across the street, "Honestly, Adie, I should have known you would mess up somehow! You simply cannot do anything right. That was so unladylike! Would Cissy, or Alecto do that?"

Adie just kept her mouth shut; knowing that in the long run, keeping silent was the best option. She grabbed the silver spoon Gillie was holding, along with her mother and sister. One lurch of her stomach later and she was standing in the middle of the living room with her mother screaming at her, and shaking her. Just for one little mistake, a mistake she'd barely had any control over.

Sirius watched her stumble, and as she fell to the ground he felt his stomach lurch. The look of humiliation, and resignation on her face as her mother grabbed at her made him feel sick. He felt so awful for her, from years of being in her place, being the family disgrace. He felt so angry at himself for having those stupid, angry emotions towards her. Suddenly everything was lit up for him with perfect clarity. He needed to talk to her, to Adrianna, and make things right between them, for once and for all.

They carried on walking, once the Greengrass family had disappeared, the others all discussing "poor Adie". Sirius was caught up in his own private thoughts, and imaginings of conversations they might soon have, rehearsing his words and what he wanted to tell her.

Inside the café, Mrs Lestrange raised one eyebrow and turned back to her drink. The Yaxley daughter smirked slightly to herself, exchanging a glance with her Flint friend. Of course, they'd expected no more from _her_. That girl was a liability.

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><p><strong>AN:** I'm so sorry that it's taking me so long with these updates. As some of you may have guessed, I have lost a little bit of my motivation for this story however, rest assured that I will _never_ give up on it. I will finish this story, 100%. I have had the plot outlined from the very beginning, and I will see the story through to the end. There will be varying waits between chapters though. Nevertheless, an update will always appear eventually!

Also, I don't mean this in a sort of "fishing for reviews" sort of way but your feedback really does motivate me :) In fact, this chapter goes out to siriusloverlollipops for their incredibly encouraging review! Thanks!

Thanks so much to ALL of you for sticking with the story. Love you all, and I'll hopefully have a new chapter up within the next few weeks.

Elle xxxxxx


	21. Chapter 21: If You Let Yourself

**Chapter 21:**

It was, of course, a bitterly cold day; sleet-like snowflakes were beginning to swirl around Adie as she settled down under the beech tree. None of the other students were out in the grounds this Sunday morning, unsurprisingly. Who wanted to be outside in the Scottish hills on a freezing January weekend?

Adie was wrapped up tightly in a coat, several jumpers, scarf, and gloves. She turned with her back against the stinging wind, and opened up her book. Today, Adrianna just felt like being alone. It was a huge relief to be back at Hogwarts, but the others had told her that they'd witnessed the Diagon Alley incident, and she just didn't feel like discussing it. Everything had been going so well at home, and, of course, she just had to go and mess it up. So to avoid having to try and explain her familial situation, Adie had sought solitude in the arctic grounds, knowing she'd be the only person to brave the winter weather.

Which was why it was such a surprise to feel a tap on the shoulder, and a familiar voice say, "Greengrass, you idiot – what, in Merlin's name, are you doing out here?"

The deep voice made Adie's stomach swoop slightly, and she cursed internally at her involuntary reaction. She turned round to face Sirius, the sudden blast of icy wind blowing her hood back and setting her hair streaming against the grey sky.

"What are _you_ doing here, and why aren't you wearing a scarf?" Adie replied, her words only just reaching Sirius before being snatched away by the gales. He settled down beside her, so that they could speak properly.

He shrugged. "Wanted to talk to you," his words were short. "And I'm fine; it's not actually too bad out here."

Adie rolled her eyes, and clutched her coat tighter towards her, as if to emphasise the point that it _was_ very bad out there. They passed a few seconds in silence before Adrianna shut her book, unable to properly concentrate on the words in front of her.

"I'm out here," she began suddenly. "Because I want to be alone, and I _don't_ want to talk about Diagon Alley."

Sirius nodded; he could understand that. Talking about his family was his least favourite thing to do – even James didn't really know about what went down in the Black household. But talking to Adrianna about it would be different.

"I'm not here to make you talk – but maybe you'd be up for some listening instead?" he offered. Adie looked at him again, her interest piqued by his enigmatic words. He grinned at her, not in a tentative or wary way for once, but a genuine smile that she couldn't help returning.

He leant back against the rough bark of the tree and began to speak. "It's so hard, being caught in the middle. In some ways, you feel like Milo of Croton, desperately trying to separate these two halves of yourself. The part of you that wants freedom, and no restraints, and the part of you that just wants to be accepted by them –the part that doesn't want to be the family disgrace anymore."

Adie realised she was holding her breath as he spoke. For once, Sirius' tone was gentle, and his words weren't being said with a bite of anger, and sarcasm. He sounded like he was trying to advise and help her, instead of lecture her.

"As a kid, I was constantly trying to get in their good books, and nothing I did ever seemed to work. I'd always manage to stuff up somehow. By the time I was ten, I'd given up. I wasn't who they wanted me to be, and I never could be. I didn't agree with who they were, and how they acted, and I refused to be forced into following that path too."

At this point, Sirius turned to look at Adrianna, who had been gazing at him intently, hanging off his words. As their eyes met, she looked away.

"But, I don't know who I am," she replied quietly, voicing fears she'd never acknowledged before. "Maybe, deep down, I am, and could be, the person they want. You've always seemed to think so, always said I was a Slytherin through and through."

She tried to keep the accusatory note out of her voice, and not let him know how his words had hurt how and how they'd echoed round, and round her mind. He looked down too, and cleared his throat, a little abashed.

"I'm sorry about that, Adie," Sirius used her nickname without really realising. "I was angry at the time and I didn't mean it. I've been angry with you a lot, and it's never been your fault – I want to apologise for that. I used to be almost envious of you; before I knew you, it seemed to me like you managed it so well. It seemed like you could live so comfortably between the Slytherins, your family, and having friends like Lily, and Em. Now, I know your life is just like mine was.

"But I made a change, Adie. I picked a side. If you carry on, you really will suffer the fate of Milo – you'll get trapped between the two, and end up losing everything. You know that you aren't like them, right? Don't you see it, the way I did? No matter how hard you try, you can never meet their expectations?"

Adie met his eyes at last and Sirius saw her eyes were full of anguish. She couldn't make up her mind; things weren't as black and white for her as they had been for him. But she knew he was on her side now, he could help Adie and stop her from being condemned to a life she would hate.

"You feel so much happier when you're not around them, don't you? Everyone can see it. Why sentence yourself to a life you'll be miserable in, all to try to please people, for whom you'll never be good enough. _We_ like you for who you are." Sirius didn't break their intense staring match as he said these words. Adie felt her stomach complete a few more backflips as she registered what he's just said: "_we_ like you". _He_ liked her.

Adrianna took in a deep breath. "You're right, Sirius, it's just hard. I still feel like -"

Her speech was cut off by another person joining the conversation, sprinting up to them from the castle. It was Reg, snowflakes covering his short, dark hair, and shivering without any coat.

The blonde girl looked at him in surprise; Sirius' face had gone from earnest, to glowering in an instant.

His words were practically a snarl as he demanded, "What are you doing here?"

Reg shuddered in the cold, but managed to stutter out, "Adie, you need to come with me. It's Cissy, she's… just come with me."

Adie felt her heart go cold. She knew, really, what was happening to Narcissa; it was the thing that Adie had feared since the start of the year. She'd known this fate was going to befall her best friend sooner or later.

"I'm so sorry, Sirius, but I have to go. Thank you, so much for this – can we talk later? Sorry, I have to run!" Adie grabbed his arm as she spoke, simultaneously packing up her things to leave. She desperately tried to convey how apologetic she was, seeing the hurt in his eyes.

"No, you don't need to go anywhere with _him_," Sirius' voice was almost childishly petulant, and Regulus just rolled his eyes. "This is important, Adie. You bet we'll speak later – I need you to understand what I'm telling you."

"I do, Sirius. Thank you, it does mean a lot but I _have_ to go – for Cissy."

Sirius nodded in defeat, glaring sourly as Reg guided Adrianna towards the Castle, shooting a smug look at his brother as he went. Adie broke away from his hand, beginning to run towards the school; Reg followed her, walking as fast as he could. The other Black just watched their progress sadly, a heavy feeling in his stomach, his upset being twofold. The way she'd chosen _him_ over Sirius and the fact this hurt Sirius so much. It was getting harder and harder for him to deny these feelings he harboured towards Adie.

As she skidded into the Entrance Hall, feet soaked from the light layer of snow now settled on the ground outside, Adie saw Narcissa descending the stairs, her trunk floating behind her. Adrianna had been right – Cissy was leaving Hogwarts, seven months before she was due to graduate. Her face was an impenetrable mask, but Adie could see Narcissa starting to slip in her attempt to hide her sadness and fear.

Lucius – it was all his fault, Adie thought viciously. He had left Hogwarts and was busy buying big mansions, and fancy clothes, and now he was tired of waiting for his fiancée to get out of school and join him. It happened quite often, in Adrianna's pure-blood world; parents would condone it quite happily – after all, why would Narcissa need NEWTs? She was going to live her life as the dutiful wife of a rich, pure-blooded wizard. She would raise his children and keep his nice house. That was all her future held.

Adie ran up to her friend, as she reached the bottom of the staircase. Narcissa clearly hadn't been expecting to see anyone, or been prepared to have to say good-byes. At the sight of her old friend, Cissy's mask cracked completely and she was no longer able to hide her fear.

"I don't want to go! I'm not ready for this yet, I hadn't prepared myself. I was counting on a few last months of freedom yet," the beautiful blonde whispered.

Adie wrapped her in a hug, burying her face in her long, pale hair. "Oh, Cissy, you haven't been free in a very long time."

Reg crept in the door, stopping at the sight of the two girls embracing. He'd never seen Narcissa so uncontrolled before. He'd never really stopped to consider the burden _she_ might be under, always fixated on his own doomed fate.

"I'll see you on my wedding day, I suppose. Be my maid of honour?" Narcissa tried to smile and make light of the situation.

"He won't let me." Adie's reply was quiet, and final.

Cissy nodded slowly. "And I suppose that's what my life depends on now, whether or not Lucius allows me.

"Oh, Adie! I know I'm moaning, I know I'm sad, and, yes, it will be hard. But I do love him – don't pull that face! He adores me, and I'll be treated like a princess. I _do_ love him. It'll be hard losing my freedom, but, as you said, I never really had much of that in the first place."

Adie tried to smile. "Yes, I think you will be happy, if you let yourself."

"And we'll have each other again, one day. When you're married, and our husbands go off to work together, then our children will have play-dates and we'll meet up every day." Narcissa's voice was full of happiness, as she painted this picture. The scene to Adie, on the other hand, seemed incredibly gloomy and depressing.

"Maybe, Adie," Cissy said, more solemnly now. "You could be happy too, if you let yourself."

With that, Narcissa moved her trunk along again and headed towards the doors. She stopped briefly, to embrace Reg too, before leaving for good. She didn't look back once.

Adrianna stood, leaning against the doorframe and watched Narcissa's steady and dignified procession towards the gates. She _would_ be happy, Cissy with Lucius; she would have the luxurious life she was used to, and he would treat her well. Could that lifestyle work for Adie too? Her head was swimming, what with her talk with Sirius and this awful, and surprise loss of Cissy. If she had been confused about what she wanted in her future before, now she was absolutely bewildered.

_You could be happy, if you let yourself._

Yes, that was true. But which part of herself would she have to leave behind to attain that seemingly impossible state of "happiness"?

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><p><strong>AN:** Okay, don't even ask what's going on here - two updates, in two days? Madness, don't expect it to last!

I think it's because I was writing lots of Sirius/Adie interaction - that just flows from my fingertips, I swear. Anyway, a pretty pivotal chapter, no?

Please do review, the three I got last chapter were lovely and very motivating :) And also WE HIT FIFTY REVIEWS! I am quite overjoyed by this, thanks so much!

See you next update,

Elle xox


	22. Chapter 22: Choices

**Chapter 22:**

This question plagued Adie continuously in the week following Narcissa's departure; she was subdued, barely eating, not concentrating in class, and forgetting homework. The teachers were fairly lenient towards her though, even McGonagall – they all knew what had happened, and hardly condoned it themselves. Adrianna would pick herself up soon enough, but having her friend wrenched from her so suddenly had hit her hard. It had also made her future seem far more like a reality; one day soon, that would be Adie, dragged off for a lifetime sentence with her allotted husband. But could it work? Could Adie find some semblance of happiness in that life?

The Marauders didn't think so. Almost two weeks had passed since Cissy's departure when Sirius deemed it acceptable to pick up his conversation with Adie. He found her in the Library, hunched over a thick book – Sirius tapped her on the shoulder. Adrianna's eyes leapt from the page to the boy in front of her; a small smile graced her lips for the first time in a fortnight.

Sirius wasted no time in getting straight to his point.

"It'll be you next, you know, being taken away from the small, protected life you've built for yourself here. There would be no more Remus, Emmeline, James, and certainly no Lily," Sirius resisted the urge to add his name to that list, to see how the girl would react to the idea of never seeing him again.

Adie frowned, her gaze switching to the window across from her. She wasn't really in the mood for this conversation; when they'd talked before, everything had seemed much clearer. The way Sirius had spoken had made her begin to believe that she might actually leave her pure-blood life. Now everything was confusion once more.

"Yes, I know it will. And I'm fully aware of what my future will entail. But is it really what anyone wants? It wasn't what Cissy wanted, I know that, but she'll be happy enough."

Sirius sighed, and took a seat next to Adie.

"But you aren't Narcissa," he said softly. "She may have had a bit of a panic then, but ninety-nine per cent of the time, she's fitted in with them. She's never had the identity crisis that you have – the way you've never quite been accepted. It's not the same situation."

"I could exist though, it might not be so awful," Adie's voice was small, unsure of what she was saying. "I'd mostly be left to my own devices – I can handle cleaning mansions, and playing with kids. I'd probably spend most of my days with Narcissa anyway…"

Sirius' natural passion began to show through now, as he started to get frustrated with Adie's thoughts. "That's not the life _you_ want. You could exist like that, yes – but you wouldn't _live_, not properly. A normal, _happy_ life is within your grasp, Adie, all you have to do is take it. Don't settle for that mundane, sad existence just to try and please your family. They might finally be happy with you, but you'll never forgive yourself."

Remus and James followed up on Sirius' point throughout the week, hissing inspiring words of encouragement to Adie in lessons and talking with her at breaks.

However, Adrianna was also receiving some other input on the situation.

"I think Cissy was right," Reg remarked, as the pair lounged in the Common Room one evening. "It could be a lot worse. We're both going to have to do it; it's not the life I'd choose either, far too constrained. But, it won't be too bad. You might not get stuck with a terrible, Muggle-hating guy. What if you got put with someone decent – who was kind of like you – you'll probably just live a fairly normal life, Adrianna."

Adie just shrugged. She felt a little under attack from the opinions flowing in from all sides about what was, at the end of the day, _her_ life.

"Yeah, that _could_ happen, but it's not likely – after all, what 'decent' guys do we know? I'll probably end up with Rabastan…" she shuddered thinking of the younger Lestrange brother.

Reg shifted slightly on the sofa, avoiding Adie's gaze. "Maybe not…"

Adie, however, missed this last remark; she stood and stretched, yawning to herself, and headed to her room. She waved a quick goodnight to Reg as she walked off, still oblivious to his discomfort.

Sirius was utterly perplexed. He could not understand how Adie's mind had been changed so quickly – during their conversation, that freezing weekend, she'd seemed surer of herself. He'd felt her open up more, and begin to realise that she could say "no" to the life planned out for her. She'd been about to join him, follow him. Or at least, that's what Sirius had thought. Yet now, she appeared as resigned to her fate as ever.

He just didn't understand. Until he saw her, one morning, with Regulus; they were sat at the Slytherin table, conversing. Adie had such a concerned look on her face and Reg was talking to her earnestly, with forceful hand gestures. Suddenly it clicked. It was _him_, persuading her to accept it all.

As the pair walked out of the Great Hall, Sirius stood up, swinging his legs over the bench. He followed them out, on their way to lessons, ignoring James' queries.

Hearing footsteps behind them, Regulus and Adrianna turned; Adie smiling widely at her friend, Regulus scowling, and shooting his brother a dark look.

"Hey, Sirius," Adie said, happily. "Where are you off too – don't you have Muggle Studies?"

Sirius nodded, directing his gaze towards her, instead of his grim-faced brother. "Yeah, I just wanted a word with you, before Transfiguration."

Regulus huffed, rolling his eyes. Adie didn't miss this, and elbowed her friend slightly.

"What about, Sirius?" she asked.

"Don't listen to him, Adie," Sirius hadn't meant for his words to sound so pleading, but he couldn't hide the note of slight desperateness in voice. "He's too cowardly to ever leave, and he'll drag you down with him."

Regulus' impatience now turned to real irritation, and before Adrianna could say a word, Reg was angrily retorting to his brother's comments.

"It's none of your business," Regulus practically snarled, turning Sirius' face to thunder.

The older boy squared up to his little brother. "You're being selfish, and you know it! She could be free and happy, and you're just trying to hold her back because you know you don't have the same strength as we do."

"You don't even _know_ her! I've been there with, for, Adrianna for years. A few months of chumminess, and you're trying to advise her on life-changing decisions? I don't think you're best-equipped for that."

Sirius was about growl a response, when he was cut off by a furious Adrianna.

"I don't think it's up to _either_ of you – it's my life! I'm sick, and tired of everyone giving me their opinions on what I should, or shouldn't do; this is my choice to make. Neither of you know what's best for me, neither of you know me – stop kidding yourselves, and grow-up!"

With that, the angry blonde stalked up the stairs, leaving the Black brothers standing in the Entrance Hall, rather shocked by her outburst. Adie's infamous temper hadn't reared its head in quite a while.

Regulus was first to recover, sprinting up the staircase after her.

"Adrianna, please, I'm sorry," he gasped as he leapt on to the staircase beside her. She paused in her furious striding, not looking at him but clearly listening to what he had to say.

"I _know _it's not my place, but… I just want you to know that I think you can be happy. I want you to remember that, whatever happens. There is hope in that life – you might not find it as hopeless as you think -" He stopped suddenly.

Slowly, Adrianna turned to look at him, eye brows raised. There was a sort of knowledge in Reg's voice, like he was preparing her for something. _"… Remember that, whatever happens." _His words echoed in her mind. Little scraps of memory returned to her; Reg looking uncomfortable as she lamented over her future; his sudden attempts to persuade her to accept her fate. He'd never had much of an opinion before; in fact Adie had always thought he was _for_ her "doing a Sirius", and getting away from her family. She had thought he would quite admire that. Yet since the Christmas holidays, he'd been advising her against it – trying to make her see the positives in following the path her parents had picked out for her.

"Reg, what's going on? What do you know, what aren't you telling me?"

He looked away. "I'm sorry, you'll probably find out soon enough. I am really sorry, I know it's not what you want but…"

And with that, Regulus paused, carefully stopping himself from saying too much. He walked away, down a corridor to his next lesson, leaving Adie confused, and scared.

She knew what was coming. She should have acted sooner. Her parents had finished finalising the details of her future, hadn't they? Soon, very soon, she'd have been pushed too far in, to ever get back out again. Her choice was about to be taken away from her.

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><p><strong>AN: ** Not 100% happy with this chapter, but hey. I want to keep this story moving! I can always rewrite later... It's mostly just a filler before the big event next chapter. I'm sure you all know what it is - it's not really supposed to be a cliffhanger just, as I said, a filler :)

Thanks so much for all your reviews on Chapter 21! It was an absolute record, there were about eight (which doesn't sound like a lot when I type it, but it is to me!) - thank you all. Imagine if we could beat eight reviews on this chapter...? Anyway, I'll try to get 23 done asap, for you :)

Elle xoxo


	23. Chapter 23: Choice Made

**Previously in TGAG: **Narcissa left Hogwarts with one final plea to Adie to stick with her family! Reg and Sirius had a fight over what was best for Adie's future! Reg gave Adrianna a mysterious speech and left her anticipating some big news...

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><p><strong>Chapter 23:<strong>

Adie was on tenterhooks all week. All she could do was sit and wait for news; summons home, or to Dumbledore's office. She was pretty certain, though, of what it was she was waiting for. Her parents must have picked her a suitable husband. Her life was set in stone now – once she was married off and cooped up in that inevitable grand mansion, there was no turning back.

Still, Adrianna clung to the idea that she might be happy, although it was with far less conviction now. Maybe it was Rabastan? But he gave no outward clues that he had been promised to her, and if Regulus knew about it then so must all the other Slytherins. So, Adie deduced that it must be a Hogwarts graduate – Yaxley, or maybe one of the Flint brothers? How would she ever find any semblance of contentment with any of them? It was hopeless.

Despite frequent pestering, Lily and Emmeline could not perceive what it was that had managed to sink Adie's mood even lower. No one knew, except Reg, who avoided Adrianna studiously – even missing his Transfiguration session with her. The girl had spent the hour awkwardly perched on the desk, alone and waiting, whilst the other pairs worked. Sirius shot a few glances her way during the lesson, wondering to himself where his brother was and what he was playing at, but he didn't speak a word to her. He hadn't all week; it wasn't a frosty, or angry silence, more like he had nothing left to say to Adie. As she reflected upon this she realised that it probably hurt her more, that way.

Her highly anticipated news came one morning, curiously, in the form of a letter. Adie was startled to see the family owl land amongst her breakfast things on Tuesday, and recognised her mother's handwriting immediately. As she flipped over the letter, and shooed the bird away, Adrianna's ideas were confirmed by the family seal on the back of the envelope. She got up, abandoning the remains of her toast, to read the note in the Entrance Hall. Adie assumed it would be summons to return home one weekend; her parents would have bullied Dumbledore into letting their daughter leave school for matters of "urgent family business".

Her shock, therefore, when she read the letter, was enormous. It took her a few moments to remember to breath, and she realised that she had involuntarily sat down on the steps leading up towards the Charms rooms.

_Adrianna,_

_As it is your penultimate year of education at Hogwarts, your father and I decided it was time to come to the customary decisions regarding your future. You will need a husband to support you, and give you a family, and a proper life; we, as your parents, have taken it upon ourselves to select a suitable man for this purpose. We know your very individual views on life, Adrianna, and realise that this may sound somewhat archaic to you, but it is a method that works for everyone. You will be secure and happy, and we will be safe in the knowledge that our daughter is leading a respectable and proper life. _

_Your conduct over the Christmas break has reassured your father and me, and we see no need to remove you from education before your stipulated seven years. Of course, you still have some way to go before you could ever be credited as a proper young lady, but that is what this union is for. In addition to this, after leaving Hogwarts you will live with your future mother-in-law for a year before marrying. This will best set you up for married life and being a good wife to your future husband, Regulus Black._

_We trust this decision will have positive outcomes for all parties involved, and hope that you do us proud – entering the Black family is a success indeed for you, Adrianna. We shall see you in the Easter and discuss these plans further._

_Regards,_

_Mother and father_

Adie's mind was completely blank, unable to process this information, she felt numb. How could they tell her through a _letter_? That was almost the worst part of the whole awful situation –their utter callousness, to control her life and then dictate their instructions by way of a stiff, formal note. Adie crumpled the parchment in her fist.

And the way they'd tried to act as if what they were doing was a favour, an act of kindness for her? No, perhaps they weren't taking her out of Hogwarts, but solely because Regulus was younger than her!

It suddenly hit her: _Regulus_ – this was practically worse than a Lestrange! Adie felt herself begin to panic, and wondered if she was getting hysterical. The thought of a life with Reg filled her with dread, and she couldn't work out why. His speech to her before all made sense now – surely she would be reasonably happy with him? He didn't want that life either; together they could just live almost normally. She would never have to worry that she'd married a Muggle abusing arsehole, or anything. Their relatives would always be unpleasant shadows in their lives, with forced family occasions, and having to name their children after stupid constellations. Yet for the most part, it would be just them, away from it all and being as ordinary as they could be…

Merlin! The thought of children filled Adie with absolute horror. She could not work out why all this upset and dread was hitting her now. As much as she had despised the idea of a life with Lestrange, or Yaxley it had never terrified her as much as this reality of being Regulus' wife. Why, though; wouldn't she be much happier with her _friend_?

Then she realised, why it all seemed so bad – it was the wrong Black brother.

She did not want Regulus, and it was with a heavy heart and far too late that she realised that she _did_ want Sirius. She had the wrong brother; the one who was her friend, and support, but not the one that was right for her, the one she needed.

Adrianna cursed herself for this epiphany, coming far too late. Why had this not seemed so crystal clear to her a month ago, when Narcissa left, when Sirius was waiting patiently under that beech tree to help her leave this life? It was too late now.

Adie was barely aware of the people swarming past, her filing out of the Hall, and pushing past her to climb the stairs. She snapped into focus, however, upon seeing a familiar dark head walk past her towards another corridor. Adie was on her feet instantly, running after him.

"Sirius," she spoke his name as she approached, all four Marauders turning at the sound. The other three grinned at Adie in greeting; Sirius just looked confused by her even talking to him.

"I have to talk to you," she explained. "You have a free now, right?"

He shrugged, still bemused, but James nudged him forcefully – he was evidently hoping that the conversation would repair relations between the two. Little did he know, Adie thought grimly. Sirius, however, did murmur his assent and followed Adrianna warily to the steps leading out on to the grounds.

"Wait," he said suddenly, pausing in his steps. "_You_ don't have a free lesson."

He was right. "I just don't feel up to class this morning; and what I have to tell you is urgent, I don't know who else I can talk to."

Sirius' mystification deepened at this enigmatic comment but he continued to walk with her, past the beech tree and onwards towards the Quidditch pitch. Adie lead the way up to the empty stands silently, seating herself on the cold wooden bench with Sirius joining her.

"What's going on, Adie?"

The girl shifted, unsure of where to start. Should she dive into the whole "I'm engaged to your brother" debacle? Adie was pretty sure that this wasn't the appropriate situation or circumstances for proclamations of love. What a soap opera her life had become…

"You were right, about me being next," Adie began to speak. "I mean, I won't have to leave Hogwarts like Narcissa, but it's happened. My life path has been chosen for me, and set into stone, and I left it too late. I'll never escape it now; I'll survive, but, you are right, I don't think I'll be happy."

Sirius stared blankly out at the grey skies – Adie wasn't even sure that he had heard, or registered her words. He ran his hands through his hair, and Adrianna could see his face was weary.

When he spoke, his words were equally as heavy. "So they've picked your pure-blood prince of a husband then. A good little Slytherin boy who won't leave his family, who'll tether you down and stop you from doing what I did – what you want to do?"

Adie swallowed, not wanting the lump she could feel forming in her throat to evolve into tears, or even worse, sobs. The emotions she had been holding back, and controlling so well up until now, threatened to come bursting forth and drown her.

"You can still do it!" Sirius' tone had changed completely. He now leant forwards, grabbing Adie's hand, and urging her with bright eyes. "Leave it all, leave them, and him – why does this change the situation? It's only helped you realise what you really want!"

Yes, Adie thought mournfully, I do know what I want now. It's you, and it's something that I'll never have, whether I leave this all behind or not.

She did not say this to Sirius, however, instead she said, "The thing is, I can't leave him. Sirius, it's Regulus. I'm… Merlin, I'm engaged to Regulus, and I can't leave him because he's my friend. And we will have a stable, bordering on _normal_ life. This is the closest thing I'll get to happiness! I wish it felt right, and good, it doesn't at the moment but in a few years' time…"

Sirius didn't look that shocked or angry, as Adie had expected him too. Maybe he'd had a better idea that this was coming, hence his perpetual anger with his brother? He just seemed to be mulling over her words in an unusually calm way. She studied him carefully, analysing the smallest flickers of emotion that she could read running across his face. But what Adie saw confused her; he just seemed quite resigned to the idea – in fact she was sure that mostly, Sirius' features just seemed to be lined with a solemn sadness.

"But," Sirius spoke at last, breaking the awkward silence. "But why can't you leave him?"

His words were small and said with genuine curiosity – no sarcasm, or anger. Adie didn't know how to answer his query, not having asked herself this question yet. The fact was that if she did do what Sirius had done, to leave behind his family and sever all his ties with them (which Adrianna wasn't sure she had the strength to do in the first place) then she would not only be taking away her small chance at happiness but Reg's too. Now her life was intertwined with his, whether she liked it or not; to run now would harm him, and his happiness. Could she ever do that to him? No, of course not – he was one of her closest, most supportive friends. And, on top of that, who was to say that the move would even guarantee _her_ happiness?

So what if it had worked for Sirius, with his network of close Gryffindor friends; for Sirius, who had never fitted in, never wanted to fit in, and had been even less accepted than Adie by the pure-blooded society. Here, with this proposal of marriage to Regulus, Adie was being offered what could be a very good solution to all of her problems. This _was _a guaranteed decent life. Running off and abandoning this plan, and her family, could lead to her losing everything and never finding that elusive "happiness".

Either way, whether she left or stayed with Reg, she knew she would never, ever have Sirius.

Adie met Sirius' eye, unsure of how to even try to begin to convey this to him. Before she could start, however, he stopped her.

"Wait," as he began to talk, he removed his hand from hers, where he had grabbed it earlier. Adie's stomach flipped slightly, not even having realised that they had been sitting, hands intertwined for the past few minutes. "You don't have to explain to me. I get that this could be everything you need. This could be perfect for you; maybe it's actually me who's being selfish. I was lucky, I have the life I always dreamed of because I took the plunge and deserted my family. But Reg could give _you_ the life that _you_ have always wanted. Who would I be to do anything other than support you from here on in?"

At that point Adie lost her last shred of control and could hold back her emotions no more. As the tears coursed down her face, her hand somehow making its way into Sirius' grasp once more, Adie could not decide whether she would look back on this as the best, or worse, decision of her life.

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><p><strong>AN:** Apologies all round!  
>1) For being a crappy updater, but life is full of work right now so I cannot guarantee any time frame for the next chapter. Sorry! Thanks to you all for sticking with the story though despite there being a few weeks between updates :D<br>2) For the plot twist. I know I promised no love-triangles but I don't think this counts! There is no Adie/Reg love going on here, not mutually at least. But at least Adrianna's finally realised her feelings for Sirius - even if it is a little too late.

Be calm everyone - this is not the end of the story. There is still plenty of time for a good resolution to be found... (I've planned for around eight more chapters).

I'd love to know what you all thought of this chapter. Once more, thank you SO MUCH for reading the story now, and all the previous chapters too! I love you all!

Until next time/review replies,

Elle xxxxxxxxx


	24. Chapter 24: Freedom

**A/N:** Last time: Reg and Adie got engaged, Adie was summoned home to go over the details of the engagement, she had an enlightening heart to heart with Sirius...

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><p><strong>Chapter 24:<strong>

The next month passed with an awful tension. Adie tried so hard to appear pleased by the engagement when with Reg – he seemed relieved and fairly happy with the decision. Adrianna knew she should feel the same but, in reality, she couldn't feel anything other than apathetic.

She'd sort of given up now. It would probably all work out, she and Regulus would have a good life, but Adie could already feel her characteristic passion for life slowly disappearing.

However, there was a small silver-lining to this very dark cloud. Sirius had stayed true to his word and was being miraculously supportive of Adie. Remus, James, Lily, Peter, and Em had all been horrified to hear her news – other than them though, no one in Hogwarts had heard word of the engagement – but Sirius had defended Adrianna's decision to stay with Reg. This unlikely show of solidarity from him had persuaded the others that this was the right decision for Adie.

Narcissa had written to Adrianna in the weeks following the news; she had seemed glad that she would be reunited with her friend. The note from Cissy had lightened Adie's spirits somewhat – it was another pro to add to the list. She wouldn't be alone; instead she would be able to spend her days with one of her closest friends. The more Adie thought about the more she could slowly begin to accept, and even warm to, the idea of marrying Reg. They both knew there was no love involved really but they would both have their two best friends. Regulus, Narcissa, and Adrianna would never have to break the system of support and solidarity that they had formed over the years.

The beginning of April signalled a week's holiday at Hogwarts. Almost every student stayed at school during this break, even the Greengrass siblings never usually ventured home. This year was a departure from tradition – Adie had been told to return to the family mansion at Easter to "discuss" future plans. As she boarded the Hogwarts Express with just three other students, Adie was wise enough realise that there would be no discussion involved. Her parents would dictate to her what her future would entail and she'd shut up and listen. Although she'd grown to accept their decisions, she couldn't help feeling quite resentful towards her parents. Their seemingly insatiable need for control and the way in which they went about dealing with their daughter riled Adie.

When the train pulled into King's Cross, Adrianna was unsurprised to see Dave waiting for her; as if her parents would deign to pick up Adie themselves. She greeted her childhood friend, the closest thing she had to a parent-figure in her life, warmly though a hint of sadness marred the reunion. Dave evidently knew about the engagement.

"I'm sorry, princess," he murmured as they broke their embrace.

She shrugged, not wanting to meet her chauffeur's eye; his disappointment in her hurt more than anyone else's reaction, "It's fine, its Reg, and we're friends."

He didn't seem convinced. They tactically avoided the subject throughout the car journey back to the Greengrass family home, choosing to chat instead about the more positive parts of Adie's life. Dave loved to hear about Lily and Em, and Adie's new friends too. But all this talk only served to remind them both what Adie would be leaving behind soon.

When they pulled up to the house, Adie felt a small sigh escape her lips; it annoyed her that she was being forced to spend a week being lectured by her parents when she could be spending her precious time with her friends. Dave left Adie to enter the front door of the manor, to use the far less grand servants' entrance to the house. She'd only bought a small bag of belongings; she had no trunk for Dave to help her with. As she pushed open the heavy, ebony wood doors, Adrianna was surprised to see her mother waiting for her.

Lucille Greengrass was sitting, resplendent as ever, by the grand piano in the corner of the hall. Her whit blonde hair was piled into perfectly styled up-do, fastened by a subtle diamond hair pin. A white silk shirt shimmered against her skin, a modest black skirt cinching tightly at her miniscule waist. Adie always felt inferior next to her mother, the exemplar pure-blood trophy wife, but even more so now as Adrianna herself was soon to learn her mother's craft too.

"Darling," Lucille's voice was always so languid and uninterested. "It's so lovely to see you back home. You and I shall lunch together first, then this afternoon your father and I will go over details of the engagement with you."

She gestured to the dining hall and Adie followed, as she always did, saying nothing. It was incredible how quickly things fell back into place. Adie would go from her bubbly, smiley, and confident self at Hogwarts to this silent follower in the presence of her parents. The splendour of the house and her irrepressible desire for her family's love seemed to steal her voice away.

Her mother chatted airily throughout the meal, filling Adie in on the social events of the pure-blood world. Who had been at which dinners, and who had made which fashion faux-pas; she never usually discussed such matters with Adrianna, preferring to talk to Callie, who actually showed interest in her mother's world. Adie assumed it was to introduce her to this foreign social environment which she would soon be thrust into. She only really began to listen when Narcissa's name was mentioned – however, all Lucile had to say was that the blouse she'd worn to the Yaxley dinner had been beautiful.

Despite what Lucille thought, Adie did find some of her mother's talk of interest. She was fascinated by the way her mum's world revolved around silly lunches and chatter about fashion, how the women never discussed their husband's business or anything of real importance. Yet they did it all to improve his contacts and links. Did Lucille even know what her husband did for a living? Because Adie could not work out exactly what his business did, or sold. She knew it was reputable – her father could not risk his standing in society by committing illegal acts. It just seemed such an antiquated way of life that the pure-bloods lived.

The talk that afternoon, with both her parents, was horrible – absolutely awful, Adie thought. They had arranged everything with Walburga and Orion, the dowry and so on. They had also come to the conclusion that it would be best for Adrianna to "refine herself" a little before undertaking the serious business of being a wife, and a member of such a prominent wizarding family. Her father had no qualms in spelling out that Walburga didn't find Adrianna an ideal match for her son; however both families felt it to be a necessary partnership.

The Blacks worried that their second son might follow his big brother's example and desert his family; Regulus had always idolised Sirius, so Walburga and Orion had been very worried about losing both their heirs. Perhaps marrying him off to a girl that he actually quite liked, although she might not advance him much socially, would settle him down and preventing him following in Sirius' footsteps.

The Greengrasses thought Adrianna might do something similar to Sirius, they were also concerned that she'd never marry, or that she'd run off with some Muggle like Andromeda. They had been immensely relieved and eager to accept Walburga's proposal.

Adie tuned out as her father spoke of her year with Walburga; she knew what it would consist of. She would sit and learn how to drink tea correctly, and how to cook a five-course meal, how to correctly socialise with the wives of Regulus' business associates. Adie realised that her life consisted of a lot of sitting, and not an awful lot of doing.

She looked up as her father finished speaking, to find both her parents looking at her expectantly.

"Um, sorry, what?" she asked dazedly. Lucille and Ethan exchanged an exasperated look, disappointed as ever.

Ethan pushed his chair back and stood up, staring at his daughter severely. "We want you to promise, Adrianna, promise to _try_ and make this work. This is an incredible opportunity."

Adie resisted the urge to sigh, or roll her eyes. Instead she simply answered with the truth, "I will, father; I never do anything but try."

After this, Lucille and Adie were curtly dismissed by Ethan, who returned to his work, satisfied with Adrianna's response. Her mother was less certain and continued to impress upon her daughter the importance of this match. How imperative it was that Adrianna be on best behaviour during her year with Walburga; that she stop zoning out; that she pays attention, and try, really truly tries to learn how to be a good wife, and pure-blood.

Her daughter just kept returning to the same thought: she'd been attempting to live up to her parent's expectations of her all of her life. Why would things change now? How could she possibly begin to be successful, finally fulfil her role as a Greengrass girl now? Adie could try no harder.

Well, she thought, I _could_. Adie knew she was lying to herself – of course she could succeed in her endeavours and become, or rather appear like, a perfect pure-blood girl. She could throw aside her friends and immerse herself into the Slytherin social circle, with Callie. Adrianna could learn how to wear that mask, just like Narcissa and hide her true self away, never let this Adie see the light again. She'd done it before; Adie remembered how she had cowered behind a façade during her fight on the Quidditch pitch with Sirius. And how much less miserable her life would be if she could cut him out of her life right now – Adie had never wanted to be that girl moping after a guy she could never have.

Yet she also remembered just how that mask had made her feel: nauseous, false, an icy chill had spread though her bones and made her feel like a stranger to herself.

You can't have everything, Adrianna, she said to herself, you can't. If life had taught her anything thus far, it was that. Today was the inevitable day she had been dreading for years. Today Adie would have to say goodbye to all her luxuries that she'd clung on to for years, that she'd endured slaps and cruel remarks for, which had cost her the respect of her family. Well, it was too high a price to pay. No more hanging out with Gryffindors, no more avoiding Slytherin social events, no more denying what you are, or what you will be soon enough.

Time to accept herself for what she had to be.

Adie turned from her spot in the sitting room, where she had been thinking and made her way to the hall, taking the stairs up to her room two at a time. She needed some sort of closure; the ever-polite, ever-loving part of Adie was not ready to disappear yet. She could not face returning to school and ignoring Lily, Em, and Remus with no explanation. She'd tried that in First Year and it had not worked. To start with, however, she had to write to Sirius.

She had to thank him so much for supporting her, despite everything. Adrianna knew he'd accept her decision, he'd probably seen it coming. What else could she do now? She need one last point of contact though, a final goodbye, and a heartfelt show of gratitude. He'd never really know how much he'd helped her.

The girl reached her bedroom and pulled out a sheet of parchment. Adie sat for a moment, simply thinking about what to say and how best to phrase her feelings. She would say nothing of her romantic inclinations towards Sirius – nothing could ever come of that, so there was no point bringing it up. They'd fade soon enough, they were probably only born of hero-worship to start with. All she really wanted to convey was her thanks for his bravery, and in turn his support of her decisions. An appreciation of him recognising that her needs, her choice, could be drastically different from his but could still be right.

Having ordered her thoughts, Adie reached for her quill. Instinctively, she went to dip the nib into her inkpot, only realising halfway through the action that she hadn't bought one with her. She hadn't thought that she'd need any for her week's stay at home – all her ink remained at school. Instead, Adie reached into her desk draw, but there were no inkpots to be found there either. She huffed out a sight – she'd have forgotten her eloquent speech for Sirius by the time she had located the essential writing tools!

After searching through both drawing rooms, her sister's room, and her mother's parlour, Adie had still not come across any form of ink.

"Does no one in this household write?" Adrianna murmured to herself, starting to climb the stairs once more. Then it occurred to her – her father's study would definitely have ink. She could picture clearly the ornate inkwell, carved into his mahogany desk that she had so frequently admired as a child.

At the door to his office, she paused, trying to discern whether or not her father was still working. Adie could hear no movement and it was quite late – perhaps he'd gone to bed? She smiled wryly at the fact that she had no idea what any of the members of the household were doing, or where they were, and most of all, how that was not unusual. This house was far too big.

So Adie knocked once and still there was no movement from within the room. She pushed the door ajar and saw the darkness of room – her father had evidently finished his work. Adie walked into the study anyway, she'd just grab some ink and leave. After searching so hard for it, she wasn't going to leave empty-handed; Adie was determined to get this letter written.

However, Adie didn't dare to take anything directly from her father's desk – he'd probably need it tomorrow and be angry if was missing (especially seeing how hard it was to find ink in this house, Adie smiled to herself). Adrianna went instead to the cupboard in the corner of the room and opened that.

In the pitch black she could barely find the door handle, let alone a pot of ink. She felt around blindly, along the shelves of the cupboard. Her hands grasped at a piece of cloth, instead of the plastic she was expecting. Adie pulled the lengths of material, hoping to uncover the elusive ink. But she stopped as she looked down at the garment in her hands.

Yes, from the light filtering in from the hallway, she could now see it was a robe of some sort – a black robe with some sort of hood. Adie held the cloth away from her, letting it fall to the ground so she could see it better.

Her heart stopped. Breathing slowly, trying to calm herself down before jumping to conclusions, Adie's hand crept towards the light switch. The sudden burst of illumination hurt the back of her eyes, but she didn't care. The robe now crumpled in her fist looked awfully, heart-wrenchingly familiar. She had seen that pointed hood before, the sinister masked face.

Her father was a Death Eater.

Adrianna had honestly never believed for a second that he would be one of _those_ pure-bloods. A rich, arrogant, slightly prejudiced man, yes. Too preoccupied by his status and the way others thought of him to care for, or get to know his daughters – guilty as charged. But an outright racist, who deliberately hurt and ruined the lives of completely innocent people? Adie could not believe it. Her mind flashed to an article she'd read in the_ Prophet_ last week, about a Muggle killing in Shropshire – her father could have been involved in that. He was potentially a _murderer_.

Adie had been wrong all along. How could she want to be like that? Why had she ever wanted to gain the approval of a monster? All the ideas that she had so blithely believed all her life, this concept that her parents were merely snobby, a little elitist, now seemed so blatantly fake that it made Adrianna sick to realise that she'd fallen for it all.

She had been able to sympathise with their somewhat cruel actions all her life, believing that it was her fault and that she deserved such treatment. Now Adie realised she was as innocent a victim as those Muggles, albeit a whole lot more foolish.

She would partake in it no more.

The desire in her, that had always lain dormant and a minority, was now so strong that she could only run – dropping her father's robe of shame and leaving the light on – to her room. The desire to get the hell away from this house, and these people was overwhelming. Adie realised in that moment how Sirius had felt, and how he had been able to leave his family. Blood _is_ thicker than water, but that doesn't stop your family being evil and wrong. And it does not allow you to condone their actions.

If she agreed to marry Reg, then where would it stop? She would have to agree to let him join the Death Eaters too (he'd hardly be able to stand up to Walburga), she'd agree to cover for their torturing and murder, she'd bear sons that would go on to serve the so-called "Dark Lord".

Not anymore. Adrianna was on her knees, hurling her belongings into bags, leaving behind the stiff family photos that she had once treasured. It ended now, her blind faith in her family. She would break off all ties with them and prevent herself from ever, ever becoming like them. She zipped up the bag and stumbled to her door, throwing it open and setting off down the hallway. Adie didn't care who heard her exit.

No one seemed to be stirring; Adie made her way down the grand staircase and then the more rickety servant stairs, tucked round a corner out of sight. Dave slept in a box room near the kitchens, not even afforded his own suite in the attic of the mansion. Gillie was reduced to residing in a cupboard off the pantry. Adie rapped quietly on the door of Dave's room and her knocking was quickly answered.

He was naturally very surprised to see Adie there, as she hadn't visited him in the servants' quarters since she was much younger and could get away with such activities.

"What's up, princess?" he asked, noticing the heavy bag in her hand.

Adie took a deep breath, "I'm leaving for good. Would it be possible for you to drive me to London? I'll stay at the Leaky Cauldron for a few days. The Hogwarts Express leaves on Saturday. I won't ever be coming back here, Dave, I've had enough."

The driver did not stop to ask what had prompted her decision; he was only overjoyed that she had finally made it. Dave had fretted for so long that she would not manage to escape the life set out for her – he'd always imagined her to be turned into a carbon-copy of her mother. He was so glad she'd proved him wrong. The sunny little girl he'd known had grown into a woman stronger than anyone had imagined.

He left the room with Adie, not bothering to pick up his uniform hat or jacket. Together they made their way back upstairs and the girl could not resist turning round to grin at her childhood friend. It still seemed like a dream – everything was finally so clear to her, yet she still couldn't believe it was all happening.

Yes, Adrianna realised as she saw her father standing in the hall, it was too good to be true. Ethan's face was contorted with a rage that Adie had never believed possible. She'd never really seen her father convey much emotion at all; he looked like the sort of man who could be a Death Eater in that moment. Adie had never realised that her father was bottling up so much hatred. Upon seeing his daughter, bag in hand, and the servant, Ethan lunged forward almost involuntarily. Adie braced herself, unsure whether he was going to hit her or Dave.

Instead Ethan halted himself, a metre away from the pair. Dave inched a little closer to Adie, ready to help her out if her father struck. Now was the true test of her strength – could she stick with her decision, face-to-face with her father?

"What on Earth do you think you're doing, Adrianna?" Ethan's voice was filled with a quiet but white-hot anger. Adie, however, held his fierce gaze.

"I'm leaving, father, and please don't try to stop me. I can't be a part of this family – everyone knows that, even I do now. It'll probably cause you less shame, if you just let me go quietly now." Adie knew that was what was upsetting him – the thought of what everyone would say if she ran away. The fact that he might never see his eldest daughter again was less of a problem.

He shook his head, almost too enraged to speak. "You will _not_ leave this house, I will not have you quitting this family, and gallivanting with the likes of that delinquent Black!"

Adie knew he was not referring the Regulus here. And for the first time, she wondered what Sirius' reaction to this would be…

"You will stay here, and you will not return to Hogwarts. I don't know what sort of liberal bullshit that school's been teaching you because you certainly didn't learn these sorts of attitudes here," Ethan gestured to Dave as he said this.

These words riled Adie. "What attitudes – the right ones? I can't believe that you honestly think that your way of life is moral or right. I _know_ what you are and what you do. How can you expect me to be a part of it all? I refuse to – I do have a choice, you know. I will not allow myself to be complicit in what you do; not wanting to torture Muggles, kill people, not being racist isn't a "stupid, liberal attitude", it's just right. It's being a normal human being."

As Adie finished her speech, her father seemed to start towards her again. Dave grabbed the girl by the wrist before her father could reach her, and pulled her towards the front door. Adie sprinted with him, away from the Greengrasses. She slammed the door behind her, diving towards the car, but her father had not chased her.

As she shut the passenger door, Adie heard her father's last command to her, "You will return to this family and make us proud, Adrianna."

Dave pressed down on the gas pedal and drove Adie away from the mansion; she looked back at the house, at her mother and sister's faces peering from the windows, and she hoped that she'd never have to return there again.

A strange emotion began to seep through Adie's body, a light sensation that came with an irrepressible smile. She realised happily, it was freedom at last.

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><p><strong>AN:** Sorry for they delay but I do hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please let me know what you thought, reviews are the best!

As ever, thanks for sticking with the story despite how long it takes me to get the chapters out :'(

Love from,

Elle x


	25. Chapter 25: The Hat

**Chapter 25:**

Dave engulfed Adie into a bear-hug, swallowing back the tears that hovered in the corners of his eyes. She returned his embrace equally as fiercely, trying to convey her gratitude to him for everything he had done for her in the past week. Her friend had stayed with her after helping her escape her ivory tower and was finally waving her off, back to school.

"What are you going to do, Dave?" Adie asked, trying to distract herself from the goodbye. "You can't go back to the Greengrasses."

He shrugged; he had not thought that far ahead yet. Instead, Dave and Adie had spent every day wandering Diagon Alley in the mild spring weather. It had been a very happy week for the pair – avoiding the troubles that they both knew would soon hit them.

"What about you, princess? Don't let them push you around or try to change your mind at school." Dave had been fretting a lot about how Callie and the other pure-bloods would react, especially at school where Adie couldn't just run away from the anger.

She smiled, "I don't think that'll be a problem. You see, at home, I only had you and Gillie whereas at Hogwarts, I have a whole pack of people who I know will defend me."

The man couldn't help returning her beam, her complacency warming his heart. He sincerely hoped that this would be enough to get Adie through what was sure to be a very tough time for her at school.

"Promise me you'll write, Dave. Let me know that you're doing okay, and you've found some new, better work?" Adie's face had turned to concern now. Dave had never written to her at Hogwarts before, worried Adie would get into trouble for interacting with a servant. Now he could happily assure her that she could expect weekly letters.

The farewell could be delayed no more and Adie finally climbed on to the train, shooting one final grin at her best friend. He waved back, a wide smile on his face, as the steam engine chugged into the distance. She'd be alright, Dave knew that for a fact, the hardest part was over now.

The whole journey back to the castle was spent in nervous anticipation for Adie. Primarily, she was concerning herself with telling Lily and Em, the Marauders as she hadn't written to them to tell them of her news. She could barely believe it herself, let alone try to convey it to others. Part of the reason for concentrating so hard on this thought was to block out the knowledge that she'd also have to see Callie and the other Slytherins. Not to even mention poor Reg – as free as Adie felt, she'd damaged his chances of happiness entirely.

Yet all thoughts of Callie and so on, were pushed from her mind when Adie thought of Sirius. So far she had not stopped to consider _his_ reaction to it all; the anticipation was making her stomach free fall. A large part of her could not wait to see his face and was so happy with herself for following in his footsteps – the other half cursed the girlish butterflies she was experiencing. The fact that her pointless feelings for Sirius could not now be crushed, was one of the few disadvantages of her decision.

By the time the train pulled in at Hogsmeade, Adie had imagined around thirty different scenarios and conversations with Sirius, telling him of her escape. Most of them seemed to end with a passionate kiss, although somehow Adie doubted that would ever become a reality.

She and the three other students who had visited home that Easter rattled up to the castle in a very silent coach ride. Adie wondered briefly what occupied the minds of the others. An awful mixture of excitement, dread, and nausea flooded her as they reached the gates of the castle and she could see a flame-haired figure and one male waiting by the doors. Some of her tension dissipated when she recognised that it was Remus there to greet her – after all, Adie thought to herself, why would Sirius be there?

Lily skipped up to her best friend as she walked towards the castle, bag in hand. The redhead pulled Adie into a warm hug and dragged her into the Entrance Hall, wittering about how much she'd missed her, and what her and Em had done that week.

"But on a scale of one to ten, how awful were your parents? And how awful is the year with Walburga going to be?" Lily grabbed Adie's arm in sympathy at this point. Remus pulled a sympathetic face and the trio settled down on a quieter staircase for a catch-up.

Adie smiled to herself before answering. "What year with Walburga? Lils, Remus, I don't plan on spending _any_ more time with any of them from now on. I did it – I left my family. I couldn't do it anymore, stand by people like that or become like them. I had no choice."

Remus' jaw dropped while Lily could only make a squealing sort of noise. Adie laughed at their reactions before giving them the full story, only leaving out the exact trigger behind her departure. She wasn't quite sure she wanted to reveal that just yet; Adie was also cautious of provoking her father any further. Her quitting the family would be shameful enough, let alone the revelation of him being a Death-Eater.

"Wait until Sirius hears this!" Remus exclaimed once Adie had finished her tale. "He's going to… I don't even know! He'll be over the moon. I know I am – well done, Adie. You've made the right choice; that's just not who you were."

Lily nodded, "It must have been hard but, hey, think of it as an investment into your future happiness – because you will be so much better-off in ten years' time."

"Screw ten years, I'm so much better-off now," Adie grinned.

The trio of friends carried on discussing the news, unable to keep the smiles off of their faces when the final three members of the Marauders rounded the corner. At the sight of Adie back home, all the boys grinned and greeted their friend happily. Adie wasn't sure how to tell the boys; it was obvious there was something to share with them from the looks on Remus and Lily's faces. James, Peter, and Sirius all seemed to be looking at her expectantly.

"Well, I don't know about you guys but I've had a sort of eventful half-term," Adie started, taking a gulp of air to calm her nerves. "I've 'done a Sirius', so to speak. I'm free from them all – I've left."

The three boys reacted very similarly to the other two; shocked expressions all round, swiftly followed by grins and congratulations. James and Peter grabbed Adie into a huge hug that lifted her off her feet.

"You done good, girl!" James yelled, making Adie dissolve into loud laughter.

When he set her down, Adie couldn't help but to look over to Sirius. She needed to see his reaction to her news, the most important reaction. Relief and soaring joy filled her as she saw the smile on his lips, the happiness in his eyes.

"Adie… I'm so proud of you."

A smile curved across her lips, and she could meet his eyes no longer. His pride in her meant more than Adie could ever express; her decision felt more right than ever. They exchanged another delighted look before Lily broke the moment, unwittingly.

"C'mon, Adie, we've got tell Em before dinner!"

With that, Adie was torn away from Sirius but as she was yanked up the stairs, he waved goodbye with that grin still on his face.

Emmeline was equally as delighted as the others and the trio of friends sat on Lily's bed, discussing what this change meant for Adie's future. While her friends were concerned with the reaction of the Greengrasses, Adie was still a little in denial – she did not want to contemplate this. In an attempt to distract herself from this subject, Adie realised that this was the first time she'd set foot in the Gryffindor Tower. Everything had changed so much, so quickly, Adie could not believe how much of an effect her decision had already had on her life. When she'd packed her bags, run out of that door, she hadn't been aware of just how different everything would be. This freedom was beautiful and Adie refused to let thoughts of the consequences with her family cloud her happiness, no matter how naïve that was.

However, she could not avoid her Slytherin peers forever and dinner that night finally bought them face-to-face. Adie left Lily and Em reluctantly, both girls hugging their friend before she left. She could tell that they, along with the boys, would be watching the Slytherin table carefully to make sure she was alright. As Adie made her way over to the emerald-clad table, their silence and hostile glares were almost enough to make her turn back again. But she didn't. Instead Adie slipped on to the bench, a little way from the end of the rest of the group. Dolohov and Yaxley, who sat closest to Adie, turned to give her disdainful glares.

The rest of the Great Hall, Adie's friends aside, seemed completely unaware of the tension. How could any of them have had any idea of the way Adie's life had been turned upside down?

No one made any move to interact with the outcast throughout the meal and, for her part, Adie kept to herself; she could not even bring herself to seek out Regulus' eye. She would talk to him that evening, she had decided. She had no idea what he would be feeling right now but Adie hoped he could support her decision as well as Sirius had.

The fall-out of her actions came at the end of dinner. People started to finish up their meal and Adie drained her goblet before getting up to leave the Hall. As she moved, so did a large group of the people at her table. She tried to ignore their sudden movement and the way all their eyes were fixed hungrily on her – they looked like animals stalking their prey – but Adie couldn't help notice that they were all of Callie's friends. She quickened her pace slightly, hoping to get out of the Hall and to the safety of the Library before they had a chance to strike. However, the group followed close behind her and as she passed through the double doors they surged around her, surrounding the girl.

Adie's heart rate shot up as she surveyed the sneering faces in front of her; the Carrows, Yaxley, and the rest of that awful gang were all eyeing her obviously trying to decide how best to start their attack.

Before anyone had a chance to start an assault, verbal or physical, a different voice spoke.

"I'm not sure quite what is going on here, but I require Miss Greengrass for a few moments. I hope that's of no inconvenience to you all?" Dumbledore's words were light, yet the stern he surveyed the Slytherins with was steely and unamused.

Adie pushed her way past the people to follow the headmaster swiftly up the staircases to his office. She didn't look back – the less she saw of them, the better. She stuck close to Dumbledore's heels instead; she was concerned to note that his displeased expression had not changed. Surely she was not going to get in trouble for leaving her family from him? Adie was sure he'd have supported her decision – anyway, Sirius hadn't been punished by the school.

The old professor scrutinised Adie as she took a seat opposite his desk. He remained standing and the whole situation was making her feel rather uncomfortable. Finally, Dumbledore sat in the chair facing Adie and began to speak.

"I have just finished speaking with your parents, Adrianna," he said heavily. She felt her stomach drop slightly, no idea what was about to come next. "They want you to leave Hogwarts and return home."

Adie shook her head mutely, in denial; she refused to believe this was happening, that her freedom was about to be snatched away from her after such a short time. It had not even occurred to her that her parents would do this and she felt like such an idiot. It happened to Narcissa after all – Adie knew full well that pure-blood parents could do whatever they wanted. This time she was powerless to make a change.

She had to try anyway, even if it meant begging to Dumbledore. "You can't let them do this, sir. I don't want that life – I said no!"

The teacher could not meet her eye and his words were laden with regret as he replied, "I am so very sorry, Adrianna. What you did was so brave, but I cannot help you. I am only the messenger – your family will send someone to collect you."

Adie was embarrassed to realise that tears had begun to fall down her face. Dumbledore was right; she was just going to have to lie down and let her father walk all over as always. She'd stood up to him once and it would never happen again. She was well and truly chained to this life now; all other doors were firmly sealed against her. It was such an oppressive, claustrophobic feeling.

Dumbledore pushed his chair back, sympathy and concern etched into his features. "You may stay here for a moment; I understand that this is a sad moment for you."

Adie heard the door shut behind him as he left the office, and slowly her tears began to stop. What was the point anymore? Adrianna felt dead to it all already. Her emotions had been tossed from pole to pole; this year had been the most exhausting she'd ever experienced. Adie had had her hopes strung up high, only for them to be dragged down to seemingly impossible lows. And once more, she had to adapt again. Adrianna had thought that this most recent change, finally rebelling against her family, would be the pivotal transformation of her life and that her path would be set in stone now.

That's what she had prepared herself for; Adie had been ready to fight and turn her back on her family, she hadn't even thought that her new, free lifestyle would be snatched away from her so soon. Adrianna could see no way out of this predicament but she felt so loathed to resign herself once more to her Slytherin fate.

Her head was beginning to spin, so Adie tried to distract herself by wandering around Dumbledore's office. She'd never been in the curious circular room before and she was fascinated by all the strange, intricate instruments that adorned the room. It was crammed full of cabinets, each one in turn covered with golden trinkets. Adie kept her hands firmly behind her back, not wanting to disturb any of the delicate and beautiful items.

She was about to dart behind the professor's desk and inspect the strange spherical seat at the back of the room, but her interest was instead captured by a ragged Hat, perched atop a set of shelves. The Sorting Hat itself, Adie realised with a surge of almost bitterness. That Hat had determined the course of her life in so many ways; this constant, on-going, internal conflict would not exist if the stupid garment had put her in any other House than Slytherin.

Because, Adie realised, that was what it boiled down to. Her eternal indecision, her inability to truly stand up and leave her family behind, was due to the fact that, deep down, Adie worried she was just like them.

Sirius had said it before, Adrianna knew she had the capability to act in the same way they did, perhaps she was nothing special and all the Slytherins had felt this doubt before? Adie glared at the Hat, sitting inanimate on the shelf; it was the Hat's entire fault that she had this horrible lack of identity and so much self-doubt. How could such a lifeless, stupid object have so much of a say in what defined a person, and how they felt?

Filled with anger, partly directed at herself and partly at the ridiculous customs of the Wizarding world, Adie grabbed the Hat and jammed it on her head. She wanted a few words with the thing and wasn't exactly sure how else to communicate with it.

Yet as the brim of the hat slipped over her eyes, Adie found herself unable to say the things she wanted. Instead she just stood there while the Hat probed her mind - Sirius' voice flashed through her head, "The Sorting Hat, the one that looks deep into your brain to find out who you really are". Adie wished the Hat luck; she could barely work out who she was, let alone this old Hat having any idea.

It felt as though she'd been frozen to the spot for hours, although it can only have been minutes. In fact, the Hat had spent less time picking her brains today than it had at her initial Sorting. Finally, Adie heard it mutter, "Sometimes, I think we Sort too soon".

Before the girl could react to this ground-breaking revelation from the Hat, she was interrupted by Dumbledore re-entering his office. As Adie pushed the brim of the hat over her eyes, she was amazed to see her head teacher looking at her in surprise – she'd never seen Dumbledore surprised by anything. There was a silence between the two; Adie thought about breaking it with an apology but instead she found herself repeating the once-more-inanimate Hat's words.

"Sometimes, I think we Sort too soon." Her voice was full of a quiet determination. "That's what it said to me."

Dumbledore no longer looked shocked, instead that characteristic twinkle had returned to his eyes.

"Now, now, Miss Greengrass," he chuckled, surveying the girl through his glasses. "Did you really need a hat to tell you that?"

Adie joined it with his laughter, removing the garment and placing it carefully back on the shelves. She was about to begin talking and to start trying to persuade the professor into letting her stay at school. Now the prospect of facing the wrath of her family and having to join that life again seemed even worse.

However, Dumbledore began to speak again before she had the chance. "I get the distinct impression that you're not going to go back to your family – are you, Adrianna?"

She shook her head.

"Well, I must say I think you've made the right choice. Although there is a lot for us to discuss and arrange – why don't you take a seat?"

Adie walked to the chair indicated by Dumbledore, barely able to believe what was happening. The most powerful wizard on the planet was going to help her stay here at Hogwarts. Everything was going to be okay. Finally, everything was good.

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><p><strong>AN:** Marginally quicker updating than usual? Maybe... Although, good news for Glee fans, I was a bit slow because I'm working on a kick-ass Klaine story!

Next chapter will be dealing fully with how the Slytherins have reacted to Adie's news and Reg's feelings too.

Also, don't worry. That was the last of Adie's indecision. She is 100% gone from her family/Slytherin now - perhaps this means things can finally work between her and Sirius ;)

Please review and let me know your thoughts on the chapter!

Elle xoxo


	26. Chapter 26: Follower

**Chapter 26:**

An hour or so later, Adie walked out of the headmaster's office with a smile on her face; the arrangements had been somewhat complex as Adie's situation was completely new and unique. Dumbledore acknowledged the difficulty of the circumstances, especially the fact that the rest of Slytherin house would not be pleased with Adrianna. Both he and Adie anticipated some trouble from her peers and so the professor had arranged for her to reside in an unused teacher's room instead of the Slytherin dungeons. House Elves would collect her belongings for her. Dumbledore had said to Adie, as she left his office, that she may wear plain robes, if she desired. However, the girl had no plans to change her uniform. Deep down, she still believed herself to be a Slytherin but that didn't mean she was a bad person. Adie felt much more at peace with herself, having decided for herself which House characterised her best.

The room that Dumbledore had allocated her was in a small, secluded tower between the dungeons and the Charms classroom. Adie read the password aloud from the paper the head teacher had given her, allowing the portrait of a smiling blonde witch to swing forward and reveal the room itself. It was small but cosy and sweet – Adie liked it a lot. The majority of the flagstone floor was covered in a woven blue and yellow rug. A wooden desk sat to one side of the room, and a bed similar to the one Adie had slept in previously was on the other side of the tower. The central space was taken up by a comfy looking cream sofa.

House Elves had obviously already been hard at work and had deposited her trunk, presumably with all her belongings in, at the end of the bed. Adie walked to the sofa and sat down, still trying to absorb the fact that everything was going to be okay at last. She was independent and free – having her own little room symbolised this, made it all feel much more real. Adie let herself grin widely and take a moment to just sit there and relax. She had not realised until then how tensely she had been holding herself.

The next thing Adie knew, it was early morning and the sunlight was beginning to filter through the windows of her room. She had drifted into sleep at some point last night, whilst reflecting on her good fortune. She stirred from her place, still curled up on the sofa; her limbs were stiff from sleeping in such a cramped position. Adie stretched them out as she unpacked her possessions, finally making the room her own.

Once she was done and dressed, the girl made her way to the Great Hall for breakfast. It did not occur to her until she reached the main doors that it would not be wise for her to sit at the Slytherin table although she still wore the House robes. As Adie entered the hall, everyone turned to look at her. Somehow, news of her rebellion had spread round the school. The glares she was receiving from the Slytherin table frighteningly intense. Luckily, Adie spotted Lily and Remus waving her over before she had time to panic and run.

Instead she calmly walked over to the Gryffindor table and took her place between Sirius and Diana. The former turned and grinned at her straight away.

"Wait, what's with the robes, huh?" Sirius joked, gesturing to her Slytherin crest, but with a smile still in his eyes.

Adie laughed. "Well, the Hat didn't exactly 're-Sort' me, and I decided that I probably am a Slytherin. However, this time it's by choice and I think I encompass some of the more positive characteristics of the House, maybe?"

This provoked gales of laughter round the Gryffindor table.

"What positive qualities?" James and Lily smirked in sync, turning to grin at each other in this unexpected show of unity.

Adie put on a look of mock-indignation, "Ambition, determination, and pride aren't always bad things! I just have these qualities in a more normal fashion than the rest of those psychos."

Diana slung an arm around her friend, squeezing her shoulder comfortingly, "Well, you're rid of them all now!"

Sirius caught the Slytherin's gaze and returned her tentative smile, nudging her softly in a silent show of support. Even this small gesture had her breath catching in her throat. He continued to talk with her, animatedly with the smile never leaving his features. Adie had never seen this side of him before and suddenly it was apparent to her why James and he had initially been attracted to one another. They were such a dynamic and charismatic duo. She'd had first-hand experience of Potter's full charms, but up until now, Sirius had mostly been a brooding, enigmatic Byronic hero-type to her; Adie could almost her infatuation grow stronger by the second.

When she excused herself from breakfast early, it was almost to escape Sirius. She could barely stand such a barrage of loveliness – Adie was almost irritated by the fact that he was so funny and engaging. She'd managed to fall for him _before _seeing this side of him, how much would her feelings grow now? Although, she also wanted to get back to her room, spend her free hour there, and just continue to relish the freedom. That room felt like the physical reward of her struggles; now she had been relinquished from her previous life, that little tower room was a Heaven.

Adie spent a happy forty-five minutes lounging on her bed, reading and occasionally putting pen to paper to make revision notes. She also took some time to put up the handful of pictures she had of her with Lily, Em, Diana, and some of the other Gryffindor girls. Adie even found one, tucked in the pages of her Charms textbook, of her, Remus, Peter, and James. That stood propped on her bedside table.

Unfortunately, with half an hour still remaining before her Potions lesson, Adie began to get rather hungry. She hadn't eaten much that morning, being a little preoccupied with a certain boy sitting next to her. Adie decided that she would start off for Potions now but take the long route, going past the kitchens. With the thought of a stack of hot toast and jam spurring her on, Adie packed her bag and set off from her room. The corridors were, by and large, deserted; most students were in class although a few of her fellow sixth-years and the final year pupils did pass her by. Most of them looked on curiously, checking which House colours she was sporting, evidently having heard the gossip. Adie just flashed them all a beam and carried on walking.

She passed a good fifteen minutes in the company of the Elves, eating her way through a few rounds of toast. However, soon the bell resounded through the castle that alerted her to the fact that she had ten minutes to get herself to Potions. Grabbing the last triangle of toast, Adie waved good bye to her friends and began to cut through the corridors to her next lesson.

The girl was just brushing the last few crumbs of her late breakfast off her hands when she happened upon a group of people she had been desperate to avoid. Adie found herself almost nose to nose with Yaxley. Dolohov's cruel face twisted into a smirk at the sight of the blonde.

"Well, isn't this a happy coincidence?" Dolohov's voice was horrible to listen to, gravelly and rasping. Nott and the Carrows shifted almost hungrily beside the ringleaders. Adie had to resist the urge to take a nervous step away from the group.

"We needed a little chat with you and, it must be fate, this opportunity's landed right into our laps."

"It's a shame Callie's not here," Yaxley added. "I know she's feeling particularly vengeful – she wouldn't want to miss the show. But we can't pass up a chance like this…"

Addie's hand inconspicuously felt for her wand, easily accessed in her robe pocket. She noticed that Nott already had his out and seemed itching to use it. Throwing caution to the wind, Adie grabbed hers too; it seemed likely she was going to need it soon. Sure enough, her action was mirrored by the Slytherins blocking her way to class.

Another bell rang, signalling that they were all now late to class. Somehow, Adie didn't think this much bothered these guys.

"Did you seriously think you could get away with your 'fairy-tale' ending, scot free?" Dolohov snarled, his voice going from neutral to vicious instantly. "Think that you could humiliate us all so publically, make us look like bad guys, and face no repercussions?"

Adie laughed in his face, all her fear gone now. The voice she had once so struggled to find now came to her. "Everyone already _knows_ you lot are psychopathic bastards – they didn't need my leaving you to tell them that. What's it to you that I left anyway? I only would have disgraced you all with my lack of proper etiquette and disinclination to torture and other general evils."

Yaxley shook his head and made a disdainful noise. Alecto stepped forward, her wand pointed at Adie's chest. "You'd have just been a _wife_. All you'd gotta do is sit pretty and not say a word."

"Well, I'm not a fucking coward. It's just as bad to sit there and say bugger-all, knowing full well about your husband's murdering antics!" Adie's voice had risen to almost a shout. She secretly hoped that this might alert a professor to her predicament before she was subjected to the Cruciatus.

"You already _have_ disgraced us! To abandon your family is to show your disapproval of them, to make them seem beneath you and your lofty _liberal_ ways," Yaxley sneered the word, matching Adie's loud tone. "We are beneath nobody. You're a fucking idiot if you don't believe that. Things are changing, Adrianna, a wave is coming. And when it hits, you're going to be one of the first to go. We gave you the chance to be on the winning team and you've thrown that away. Don't come running when it all goes wrong for you, and the rest of your blood traitor, Mudblood scum mates."

Adie was bemused by Yaxley's talk of waves and change, blaming on his mental instability. Luckily for her, in his vociferous speech he had begun to circle her, leaving Adie a clear escape route. Nott was about to burst in on the verbal attack when Adie dashed past the group.

As she veered round the corner, she heard a Stunner being fired but she was long gone by then. Adie dashed up a staircase, not heading at all in the direction of Potions – all thoughts of lessons were gone from her mind. Yet her frantic running was stopped short by the sight of a familiar figure at the top of the stairs.

Regulus' tense features relaxed visibly on sight of Adrianna; he had evidently heard the skirmish, too afraid to join it, but still please to see the girl unharmed. She, on the other hand, had no idea what to say or do. Adie simply stood opposite him, mute.

"Sorry they attacked you like that, it was sensible of you to get away."

"Did you know they were going to try and get me?"

"Yeah, well, I mean _that_ incident wasn't planned. I was going to try and subtly warn you about it, but they're watching me pretty closely. Don't want me to get any funny ideas seeing as both my brother and fiancée have left the _toujour purs_ circle. What is about me," Reg laughed slightly bitterly. "That makes people to run a mile?"

Adie looked down at her feet, embarrassed suddenly. She'd been dreading this – Regulus feeling rejected and hurt. She had no real word of comfort for him. Her decision had been entirely unrelated to him, other than that their engagement had made taking action more pressing to her. Yet saying that felt as callous as saying he _had_ been a part of her running away. The knife in her stomach was only twisted by her undeniable feelings for his brother, the fact that Regulus was the wrong Black.

"I am so sorry, sorry that I've made things worse for you. You know that I didn't run from _you_, don't you? I had to get away from all of them – but you're not really a part of that. Do it too, it's not as hard as it seems! And wouldn't you be so much happier with Sirius and me?"

Reg tore his eyes away from Adie's sudden glance, staring out the window with indecision written all over his face. In years to come, she would look back on that moment and wonder what he could have been about to say. However, she would never know because before Regulus could respond to Adie's proposal, the Slytherin mob came pelting up the staircase. Their hunt had paid off.

Yaxley and Dolohov both grabbed Reg at the same time; Yaxley slung his arm around the boy in an attempt to make the gesture friendlier.

"Picking up where we left off, eh, Reg?" Dolohov's finger clawed in the Regulus' bony shoulders as he said the word, indicating that there was only one possible answer for him to give.

Adie felt her heart sink as the indecision melted away from Reg's eyes. It was replaced by a steely glint, a look she knew well as the infamous Slytherin mask. He had made his choice, and it was too late now. Adie realised that he would never leave; he didn't have the same fire as his brother. He craved that approval even more than Adie – probably because Sirius had denied his the attention in their youth.

He forced a smirk to twist his lips into a foreign mask of cruelty. "I was, in fact, Antonin, just letting the little slut know that she's welcome to her dirty Mudbloods. She'll pay for it later, because everything's changing."

Adie's hurt at his harsh words were marred slightly by that phrase cropping up again. Regulus knew something she didn't; he had been initiated into this 'change'. The other Slytherins laughed appreciatively at Regulus' words and threw a few jibes of their own at Adie. She could not concentrate on them though. Her eyes were locked with Reg's, trying desperately to find some chink in his armour, a sign that he was not beyond saving. She realised now, why Sirius had always been so angry with her – he'd been trying to find that sign in her. But it was hopeless. Reg was completely lost to her all. Adie also realised now, how Sirius had been able to leave his brother. He had recognised this fact a lot quicker than Adie.

She suddenly realised that the Slytherins had stopped hurling abuse at her and were exchanging glances. They pushed past her violently, letting her hit the wall heavily; they had evidently decided that this verbal abuse had sufficed. Maybe they're misread her sadness at losing Regulus for their attacks hitting a nerve? Either way they were gone and all Adie had to show for it was a bruise, probably beginning to bloom on her arm.

Regulus had not followed the others all the way back to their Common Room, or next lesson, instead he had paused at the end of the corridor.

"Adrianna," he said, his voice still cold. "Just leave it. They might have you back, if you renounce the things you've done. You'd face a bit of shit but we'd be alright."

Adie shook her head. That life was so far removed from her now; going back was a complete impossibility.

"My brother won't make you happy. Break off whatever it is you two have going – that should please this lot enough to lessen some of the anger they have towards you. They love to see Sirius upset."

They thought her and Sirius were together? Adie was dumbfounded and went to correct Reg but he cut her off.

"And they'll love seeing you upset too, you know that. Just come back, I honestly don't understand why you've done this. If it was for him, he'll have dumped you within a month."

It was as if Regulus could not bear to talk about it any longer. Adie knew it was not out of love for her, but jealousy of Sirius and his freedom. Hatred for his brother, who had been the Golden boy as a child and now had his perfect life. Poor Reg, Adie could not help but think.

"I'm not going anywhere, Regulus," Adie said quietly. "I'm sorry."

He stared at her, no acknowledgement of her words, but Adie could see the last light in his eyes die. The last scrap of the Reg she had once known was now gone. The mask had become permanent.

He turned on his heel and followed the others, as he always had and always would.

"Bye, Reg."

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><p><strong>AN:** hope you like it :D

I guarantee you'll love the next chapter ;) hope I can get it up soon.

Please review and let me know what you thought!

Elle xoxo


	27. Chapter 27: Raindrops and Sunshine Hair

**A/N:** Last chapter - Adie had an unfortunate run-in with her Slytherin ex-housemates as well as her ex-fiancé, Reg. Things didn't end too happily.

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><p><strong>Chapter 27:<strong>

After that encounter, Adie very much wanted to be alone. Luckily for her the rest of the school were still in their lessons; as much as the run-in with Reg had shaken her, everyone else remained blissfully unaware. There was no way the girl was going to go to her class now – she needed time to recover and pacify her emotions. The sadness, loss, and, above all, the guilt; Adie could not help but to blame herself for Regulus' change. Deep down she knew it was inevitable, his following the other Slytherins, but that did not help alleviate her pain.

Adie wondered what would become of Reg in the future, the things her docile, former best friend would be forced into doing. He was so vulnerable, she could see that now; he lacked the fire of Adie and Sirius. All she could do was pray that some inner-steel would show itself when he most needed it. Hopefully, he would realise that she would always be there to support him if he made the decision to follow her path too, no matter what circumstances it was under.

Sirius had seen it so clearly, Adie had never imagined he'd be more perceptive than her but, evidently, he was. When he'd left, he must have recognised Regulus' unwillingness to disobey his family. Adie cursed herself for feeling this way, however it was with such relief that she realised Sirius had never given up on her in that way. He must have always seen a spark in her, potential. Maybe that's why he had found her so frustrating, her lack of action? Her stomach squirmed as she thought about the fact he had never given up on her. Adie knew she should not read so much into Sirius' actions but she couldn't help herself.

Unfortunately for Adie, someone up there was not feeling particularly kind towards her that day and she was not to be left alone with her thoughts. Callie rounded the corner of the corridor at exactly the same time as her sister, the two nearly colliding as they walked.

"Sorry, I was in a bit of a daze I didn't see–" Adie began to speak before realising exactly who she was talking to. "Callie, I'm sorry."

Adie couldn't finish that sentence because she didn't know where to start with her apologies; she hadn't meant to run into her sister, she had never intended to abandon Calliope and bring such shame to their family. Adie was well-aware that it was the latter of these two that had upset Callie. The dark haired sister did not see Adie's actions as abandonment because she was unaware of the awful fate that lay in her future. Well, not unaware of what her future entailed but definitely oblivious to how horrible it would be.

It must have been her run-in with Regulus, and her subsequent thoughts about his relationship with Sirius that was inducing such sympathy for her sister. Adie knew how the older Black brother must have felt leaving his younger sibling behind – no matter how much of a lost cause they were, it was still tough.

Calliope, unaware of her big sister's thoughts, was regarding Adie with a rather cool stare. "Mother almost had a breakdown when father told us what you'd done. How could you humiliate us all like that?"

Adrianna was always amazed by Callie and her mother's ability to say such angry words in such even tones, expressing no emotion and still managing to make you feel incredibly small and chastised.

"Callie, you know I never belonged. Isn't it better this way? I would have made a rubbish wife and done something typically stupid at every ball and event. I'm not denying you your chosen future, so don't deny me mine." Adie tried to be firm but fair with her sister.

The dark haired girl shifted into a more defensive pose, crossing her arms, "Well, you've damaged my chances of getting a decent husband! Being engaged to a Black was a real coup for you, Adie, and I would make a perfect wife. Now you've shamed the Greengrass name so far that I'll be stuck with some second-rate family."

It was utterly beyond Adie how obsessed her sister was with finding a future husband – it was literally her singular goal in life. The blonde knew in that moment, that she would never regret leaving it all behind. She could be so much bigger than that.

"Whatever, Calliope, you have your life and I have mine. We're separate now, I thought that was all you'd ever wanted – to be as distanced from me as you could be? You got your wish."

"Yeah, but don't do anything else to shame us – just because you're not a Greengrass anymore, doesn't mean your actions won't affect us. This does not mean you can go around trying to mess up the natural order of things now."

With this last command, Callie stalked off and left her sister. Adie was surprised by the lack of violence and fight in her sibling – that was one of the calmest discussions they'd ever had. Once again, their situation seemed to mimic Regulus and Sirius'. They had never been on good-terms, unlike the brothers, but Adie could sense in Callie's lack of true vitriol, that she did miss her sister. Sort of.

Before she could encounter any more unfriendly Slytherins, Adie headed to the Library, knowing that Em had a free lesson next and would soon be there too. A few months, or even weeks, ago, Adie wouldn't have dared to tell her friends about incidents like that with her fellow Slytherins; she wouldn't have wanted to worry them or have them bombard her with questions and well-meaning comments about how awful things were for her. Now her freedom let Adie wait anxiously for her friend so she could vent to her. It was a lot healthier this way and the girl relished the lack of restraints in her life. She had never realised before just how wary she'd been of fully letting her people into her life.

The Ravenclaw entered the dusty room a few minutes after the end of lesson bell rang, hand-in-hand with her boyfriend, Peter. Adie waved to the two, motioning them over to the window seat she had guarded for them. The couple made their way across the room to join their friend, sensing some gossip ahead.

"What's up, Adie?" Peter asked as he sat down next to the blonde. "You look kind of mad, or sad – I can't really tell."

Adie laughed, "I guess it's kind of a mixture of the two; I finally ran into Reg and my sister."

Em and Peter exchanged a glance, ready for a story. Lily and Em had been greatly enjoying the sudden slew of Slytherin bitching that she had been coming out with over the past two days. It was like the floodgates had opened and they were being shown into the world of the pure-bloods, with all their absurd etiquette and ridiculous lifestyle. Some of the stories, especially those about her family's casual cruelty, had shocked some of the girls, but Adie remained light-hearted, simply glad to be rid of it all. They were all glad for her too, so they tried not to make a big deal of their surprise and let Adie acclimatise to her new life. The boys had not been present for most of Adie's tale-telling and so Peter was looking forward to this account, particularly as Sirius always kept so quiet about his family life.

Adie recounted the story of her meeting with Yaxley and the rest of the gang, her exchange with Regulus, interrupted by a few questions and comments from Em. She could not believe how ready the Slytherins had been to harm Adie, which greatly amused the girl herself. Of course, that was just standard retribution for such traitorous actions. She then went on to describe seeing Callie; it was this that piqued Peter's interest.

"But why wasn't she as angry as the others? She didn't want to hurt you, but surely she's been more affected than they have – it doesn't make sense…"

Adie smiled again, "I think she misses me. She might not realise it, but I am her sister – no matter what she might think of me, neither of us can change that. It's hard for a family to be torn apart; regardless of anything that we've been through, at the end of the day, we're two sisters who are never really going to see each other again."

She felt a lump rise in her throat as the truth of this hit her; Adie was never going to associate with her family again. Despite everything bad that they'd ever done to her, she would never forget that feeling of craving their approval, the rare occasions that they had felt like a unit.

Adie cleared her throat quickly, the lump of potentially tears not budging, "Oh, hey, I just realised that I told Diana I would meet her this period. I better go – although I'm sure you lovebirds don't mind being alone!"

The pair laughed and waved to Adie as she made her hasty exit from the Library, sniffing back the tears. She waited until she had reached the empty Entrance Hall to rest against the wall and just let herself cry for a few minutes. Adie hated herself for feeling so sad about leaving them all – it really was something that she should celebrate. And she did, but she couldn't help missing them too. As Adie wiped her eyes, she wandered to the doors leading to the grounds of the castle. Unless her eyes were mistaken, she could see a familiar figure sitting under the beech tree. She made her way over to sit by Sirius, not entirely sure if she'd stopped crying yet.

"Tell me you missed them too, after you left," Adie's voice wobbled as she said the words. She was not feeling emotionally stable enough for any preamble, and knew that Sirius wasn't one for small talk anyway. He turned to look at her, taking in her red-rimmed eyes.

"I did; I mean, not my parents so much, but Regulus I missed really badly. We were fairly close, really, and it killed me that he wasn't going to come with me. Knowing that I could never interact with him, be close to him again, hurt a lot and it took me a while to come to terms with." He spoke looking straight ahead, his words direct and free from any heavy emotion.

Adie breathed a sigh of relief as he said this, so pleased that he had felt the same way too. She relaxed somewhat as she began to speak again, letting herself lean against the rough bark of the tree fully. The girl began to talk briefly of her encounters earlier that morning, mostly concentrating on having seen Reg.

"And I figured something out in that moment, something that had puzzled me for years," Adie said eventually, turning herself more to face Sirius. "How you had actually managed to leave him. I knew you guys had been close, and it was hard enough for me to leave Callie who I've barely ever been on talking terms with. He doesn't have the capacity to do it, even though he wants to – and that's worse than Calliope's ignorance. The desire to leave it all and the lack of courage to actually do it."

Sirius nodded and turned to look at her, about to speak but she cut him off.

"Thank you for never giving up on me, thanks for seeing that spark of courage in me. It means… a lot. I don't think I would have been able to do it without that, without you."

A silence fell between the pair, Sirius still looking at Adie and her unable to meet his gaze, worried that her true emotions had coloured her words too obviously. Neither of them said anything for a long time, each one wrapped in their own thoughts about the other. Eventually Sirius tore his eyes away from the girl to stare out across the lake.

"It's raining," His comment, obvious and monotone, was the first thing to break the increasingly awkward silence that had formed. Adie held her hand out, palm facing the leaden sky where a thin mist of rain settled on her skin.

"So it is," she replied, her deeply ingrained sense of politeness showing itself once more. Neither of the pair moved, despite the raindrops swirling around them. The transparent beads of water clung to them, forming intricate patterns on their black cloaks and creating lacy, crystal webs in their hair.

When Adie looked back on that moment, as she so often did, she could never remember who had shifted first, bridging the gap between their bodies, or if they had both moved together in silent, mutual agreement. Either way, without speaking, the two found themselves face-to-face; Sirius pale, pure-blood skin just centimetres from Adie's sun-kissed, warm face. His hand reached up, his thumb stroked her cheek almost tentatively. As his hand grazed her face, she shut her eyes, enjoying the feel of his skin against hers. Sirius held his breath as he watched her sooty lashes flutter against those cheeks.

Finally, he did what he had wanted to do for so long now. Sirius pulled up his free hand to tangle it deep in her captivating sunshine hair, damp and heavy from the drizzle still swirling on. Adie's eyes flickered open as she felt his touch and she did not dare to close them again, for fear of ending this wonderful, but surely impossible, dream.

Adrianna Greengrass refused to close her eyes until that moment came which she could never doubt the reality of. The moment her lips finally collided with Sirius Black's. Every battle she'd ever fought and every hard time she had endured and would endure in the future, was suddenly worth it, knowing that she would have him by her side to face them.

And Adie knew that with more certainty than she'd ever known anything before.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I am a horrible updater, I know. Ugh. I am so sorry, but, on the upside... SIRIUS AND ADIE ARE TOGETHER. That's it, they are officially a couple.

Happiness all round? Please let me know what you thought of that chapter :) Reviews mean a lot to me, even if I suck at updating quickly. I can't promise anything but I do have two weeks off, starting next week so I should be able to power out a chapter.

As I'm so slow, I'm going to merge a few chapters together which means there's only three left of this fic! Help!  
>Thanks, as ever, for all your support and reviews. They honestly mean the world!<p>

Hugs and butterfly kisses  
>Elle xoxo<p> 


	28. Chapter 28: Friends and Enemies

**Chapter 28:**

_Four years later – July, 1980_

Adie made her way into Remus' cramped living room, from his even smaller kitchen, performing an impressive balancing act. She was managing to juggle a large bowl of crisps, three bottles of butterbeer, and a glass of pumpkin juice. Without managing to spill anything, Adie sat herself down on the sofa and deposited the snacks on to the table where they were immediately grabbed at by her friends' greedy hands.

"Thanks, Adie," Peter said, around a mouthful of salt and vinegar crisps. Lily smiled at her best friend, taking the pumpkin juice off the coffee table somewhat awkwardly; her pregnant stomach did not allow for much flexibility. Sirius, sitting next to Adie, leant over to pick up a bottle of butterbeer before putting his arm around his fiancée.

"Nice circus act there," he murmured to her. "I felt a bit worried about the pumpkin juice as you stepped over James but you made it. Very impressive!"

The blonde laughed before pecking him on the lips and grabbing the half eaten carton of rice from the coffee table. The small room was littered with the debris of the friends' take-away curry; it was an attempt at a cheer-up for Remus, who had just split from his girlfriend. They hadn't been together that long, and he wasn't too upset but in the current climate, any excuse for a small party or get-together was greatly welcomed. The times were dark; tidings of death and sorrow were pouring in from every angle. Adrianna's father had recently been killed in a skirmish between the Death Eaters and vigilante group, Order of the Phoenix, of which many of her friends were members. Adie had not felt able to join the group, unsure whether she'd be able to properly fight some of her former friends especially if she found herself in combat with Regulus or even Callie. She hadn't heard anything from anyone there since she had left them all behind.

It was the Prewett twins who had killed her father. They had started to apologise to her when they had met at the Three Broomsticks about a fortnight ago but she had cut them off. Adie knew it was the only thing to do to stop Voldemort's reign of terror. And as she said to the boys, "I lost my father a long time ago". He'd ceased to mean much to her the moment she found that robe. However, Adie had still shed some tears over her dad. No human could truly distance themselves from their family that much, so as not to feel anything at their death, Adie told herself. But she could not help wondering, would they cry, if she was to die?

The girl had quickly banished the thought from her head and quickly immersed herself in wedding plans instead. Sirius had proposed to her a few months ago; a lot of people were rushing in to weddings at the moment, however this couple had been together for many years now. Adie knew she wasn't saying "yes" just because of the pressures around them. She loved Sirius, and was as confident in his love for her as she had ever been. The pair was living in an apartment a little way from the centre of Diagon Alley; they shared the one-bedroom space with their cat, Hester, and the small family was incredibly happy.

Every morning as Adie woke up, she could not help but to give silent thanks for the way her life had worked out. Opening her eyes every day to find her beautiful boyfriend lying beside her, in their cramped flat with their self-righteous and diva-ish cat stalking the room was ever a blessing. Adie could never have imagined such a bright future for herself a few years ago. She had known that she wouldn't regret the decision she had made, to leave her family, and she didn't. Every experience of her life since leaving the Greengrasses behind had been wonderful. Emmeline's family had kindly taken her in for the holidays and up until she and Em left Hogwarts; Em's mother was a "blood traitor", who had married a Muggle out of love instead of her chosen partner for power. She sympathised very well with Adie and was delighted to have the girl stay with them. To this day, their home was always open to Adie and she often went there with Em and Sirius for Sunday lunch. Peter and Emmeline had broken up in the Seventh Year, but remained good friends.

Sometimes it made Adie smile to think of the irony of the way her life had panned out. Really, she was doing just what her family had wanted of her – giving up the Greengrass name in order to become a Black. The _wrong_ Black according to her family, however, but the right Black for her. Adie often wondered about Regulus; some members of the Order had informed her that he was indeed a Death Eater now. It saddened her but she still retained some hope that he would defer sides before the end of the war.

Sirius was not as hopeful as he had told Adie one day, when they'd been discussing the matter. "Come on, Adie, you told me you saw it yourself! He's not got the capability to change and stand up for himself like we did."

"We both needed triggers to make the move – mine was finding out about my dad, and yours was… well, yours was finding out that Regulus was to be married off to me."

Sirius had only told her that after they had been together for a couple of years. He said that, at the time, it was his anger that they were settling Reg down. He knew that if Regulus was married to Adie, he would definitely never leave the pure-blood life – he knew that they would be happy enough together. It was only with time that he had realised, he was also upset about Adie being denied her chance to leave and, as much as he had hated to admit it, jealousy that it wasn't him she was engaged to.

"You'd think having torture Muggles and other wizards to insanity and madness would be trigger enough," Sirius' words were quite acidic by this point in the conversation. Adie could sense his anger but tried to placate him, and make him understand her point of view.

"But we also had support," she murmured, sitting next to him and leaning her body into his. "You had James and by the time I was ready to leave, I had you as well as the girls and the Marauders. I'd just like to think that if Regulus ever did want to get away, he would know that he had our support."

Sirius relaxed at Adie's presence somewhat but still seemed agitated. It took a few moments of silence before he worked up the courage to ask her something that had plagued him for many years.

"Did you ever love him, Adie?" Sirius' voice was small, feeling silly for eve asking. "I know you don't _now_, but did you ever?"

His girlfriend laughed at his shyness and earnestness, pressing her lips gently to his cheek, still chuckling. "No, Sirius, I didn't. We were friends and I saw a marriage with him as the best option I had, the closest semblance to happiness life could offer me. I can't tell you how glad I am that it didn't work out that way."

After that conversation, the pair had discussed Regulus less and Adie began to feel more and more like Sirius did. She doubted her friend would ever manage to leave the Death Eaters and pure-bloods, but she knew in her heart that he did not enjoy his life.

Bringing Adie out of her reverie and reminiscence, James tapped a tandoori-covered fork against his empty beer bottle, evidently wanting to make an announcement. Adie put her rice down and turned to face her friend, still leant comfortably against her fiancé.

James looked solemn as he began to speak, "Lily and I are moving house, soon. We won't be around the London area any more but, chances are, you'll be able to Apparate and see us. So I suppose it's not that big a news bulletin, we just wanted to let you know."

There was a slightly awkward pause after James said this. Something about his announcement was slightly stilted and forced.

Adie shifted. "Is that a good idea, right now, guys? After all, Lily is only three weeks off of her due date. That might make moving a bit hard, now or when you have a new-born."

The pair exchanged a glance, loaded with meaning that Adie could not understand.

"If we're being frank, Adie, it's Dumbledore's orders," Lily said, slightly apologetically. "He says we're being specifically targeted. It might be something to do with the baby – we're not sure why or what is really going on, but we're just going to listen to Albus."

"That's always the best idea," Remus acquiesced. "But what was this about us potentially not being able to Apparate and see you?"

It was James' turn to deliver an uncomfortable answer to this question. "They'll be very strict security measures."

"Even for your best friends?" Remus smiled.

"Yes." James' answer was not as friendly and the atmosphere tensed up very quickly. Remus put his bottle down on the table with a loud chink, looking pretty annoyed by James' curtness.

Adie tried to diffuse the tension somewhat. "Well, I'm happy to carry on being Secret Keeper; no one's approached me for the top-secret info thus far."

Her attempt at lightening the mood did not succeed as Lily admitted, "We were thinking about changing Secret Keeper actually, Adie. Thanks though."

Sirius felt his fiancée stiffen at these words; why didn't they trust her anymore? Adie couldn't help but pinpoint their sudden change in attitude towards one thing.

"I haven't spoken to my family for four years, since I left that house. You know that. As if I would _ever_ pass on information like that to anyone from that group."

James shrugged; when it came to protecting his family he would be as harsh as he needed to be. "Yeah, but would you tell Regulus Black?"

Adie shook her head, infuriated by James and Lily's unfounded accusations. She could not believe they thought she would ever betray them, that she _could_ ever do such a thing. Adie could barely form the words to deny that she would do such a thing; how could she convince them of something that they should already know?

Lily had obviously sensed how affronted her best friend was by James' words and tried to smooth things over.

"No, Adie, I'm sure you wouldn't but also, there's your safety to think of. Death Eaters might not have come after you yet, but I don't think Voldemort's started his search for us at the moment. It's quite common knowledge that you're our Secret Keeper – they will come after you soon if you stay in the position."

Adie tried to smile at her friend; but she knew Lily's words were not very truthful, that was not their main concern. Death Eaters were going to come after her anyway, if Voldemort was looking for the Potters. Of course the first thing they'd do was to interrogate their _former_ Secret Keeper. Yet Adie kept her fake smile in place and laughed away the tension; eventually the atmosphere calmed down, the stress dissipated from the group somewhat. However, when they reached their own apartment that night, Adie refused to talk about the issue with Sirius; she was still so angry and, although she hated to admit it, scared of seeing the same accusations in his eyes. The next morning she let him discuss it, having found no anger on his part in his actions. He had simply held her the same way he always; Adie felt guilty for believing he would ever think her a traitor. That was the problem, the scariest part of Voldemort's reign, it was so hard to tell your enemies from your friends…

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Who knows what's going on here? Two chapters in two days? Madness.

Hope you're still enjoying it and don't mind the time jump :) Please do review and let me know whether you liked it or not. The next chapter's the penultimate one and, just a warning, it isn't entirely _happy_...

Please do review!  
>Love,<p>

Elle xoxo


	29. Chapter 29: Blinded

**Chapter 29:**

The incident was soon forgotten about and a month had quickly passed since Lily and James announced their intention to move. They had already settled into their new home, a property previously owned by the Order itself. Adie and Sirius were yet to visit them or their new son, Harry who had been born just a week ago. However, they had scheduled to travel to Godric's Hollow next Saturday. Adie couldn't wait to meet the newest Potter and was hopeful that the tension and slight antagonism that the couple had felt towards her would have disappeared by now. After all, they had chosen Sirius as their new Secret Keeper; if they really distrusted her, they would not have entrusted their lives to her soon-to-be husband.

Since then Adie had been mostly busy with wedding plans; the venue was booked, and her dress bought. Now she was thinking about catering. It took her mind off of the world around her, dark and war-filled. She wasn't employed; no companies were looking to hire in such dangerous times. She was also a high priority target, according to the Order. Death Eaters were starting to pick off blood traitors as well as Muggles. Adie had been advised to stay indoors as much as possible but she hated being cooped up; neither her nor Sirius, however, saw a problem with her popping to Diagon Alley. It was always so busy and a five minute walk from their flat.

As she set off that day, Adie had no particular goal in mind, no task to achieve in the town – she just needed to stretch her legs. After spending some time wandering around the shops, examining books at Flourish and Blotts and looking for potential birthday gifts for Sirius in Quality Quidditch Supplies, Adie ended up at her favourite shop on the street. Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour always managed to entice Adie with its displays of bright and interesting looking sundaes; she would often pick up a cone on her way back to the apartment as her personal little treat. Today the shop seemed deserted and Adie thought it would be rude to leave Florean so lonely, she had better go in and buy something…

However, as the honey blonde woman entered the shop, she soon realised something was wrong. The bell on the door frame rang through the room, echoing in a way that sounds only do when the place is totally empty. Florean was not as his usually post, stationed behind the counter with his ice cream scoop handy. Adie began to feel somewhat nervous and started to back up, towards the door but before she could make her escape from the unknown danger, a familiar voice hissed, "_Obscuro!"_

Adie's vision was completely blocked and darkness surrounded her. Soon two sets of hands had grabbed her arms firmly, wrenching her wand from her hand. She heard it clatter to the wooden floor before a swirling sensation hit her stomach, telling her that they had Apparated to a new location. Adie dared not breath as her feet hit the floor once more. They had come for her at last.

Adie was one of the few people in her group of friends who had not yet come face-to-face with Death Eaters. Everyone else she knew had experienced this before, the sudden realisation that you were probably not going to survive this encounter. Logically she should have recognised that as they were still living, her fate was not set in stone. But so many people _had_ died. For the first time, Adie felt truly terrified of Lucius Malfoy, for she knew that was the voice that had obscured her sight.

"Pretty little Greengrass, we've let you go unpunished for _far_ too long," It appeared Bellatrix was aiding Lucius in his task. Her voice still made Adie shiver. She wanted to run, but there was no point, unarmed and blind. As Bellatrix moved closer, the blonde heard a twig snap and a slight rustling of leaves. They must be in a forest – too far from any other human contact.

"If I'd still been at Hogwarts, you would not have gotten away with running off with that blood-traitor Black. Your family were so lenient on you!"

Suddenly a strong pair of hands wrenched Adie's arms behind her in an excruciating arm lock. The cold metal of Malfoy's Death Eater mask was touching her cheek as he snarled in her ear, "They offered you a good way out with Regulus and you threw it back in their faces, you ungrateful bitch!"

Pain shot through Adie's body and she was aware of her limbs flailing and her back arching into impossible contortions. The agony was all-consuming but it seemed Adie had lost her voice again; something about the presence of these people rendered her mute. No shrieks of anguish were heard from her, she simply suffered silently under the pain, as ever.

"Now we'll make you pay, blood-traitor whore," Lestrange hissed, her infamous knife pressing against Adie's flesh, not cutting or stabbing but simple resting there and letting blood trickle down her arm.

At this point, she realised that there was definitely no escape. They were going to kill her as punishment for her actions four years ago. They'd torture her for information that she couldn't reveal first and then kill her in retribution afterwards. Was this the price her four years of freedom and bliss would cost her? Adie felt it was justifiable.

"Better a blood-traitor whore, than a cold-hearted, disillusioned bitch like you," Adie spat in what she thought to be Bellatrix's general direction. "Or a sycophantic coward like you, Lucius!"

Adie yelled the last part, finding her voice again; she would not go down without a fight. If she had believed that there was any chance for her to see Sirius again, to escape alive then she would have taken it. But she would not delude herself – she was a dead woman walking.

This time Bellatrix's knife was aiming to hurt as it slashed down Adie's cheek, running from cheek bone to collar bone. She was aware of her own blood rushing down her skin and soaking into her top, the awful metallic stench filling her nose. Lucius' grip tightened, still pinning her arms behind her brutally.

"Tell us where the Potters are, slut," he growled.

She could fall back to the truth of, "I don't know" but by now her aim was to antagonise.

Adie spat out some of the blood that had trickled into her mouth, along with her words, "You continue to underestimate me, guys. You thought I'd never leave, thought I'd never be brave enough to get away from you all – but I was. And now you think I'm just going to cave and betray the best friends that I have _fought_ to keep in my life. Guess what, idiots, I'm not going to stop fighting now."

The white-hot heat of the Cruciatus curse rocketed through Adie again, leaving her body shaking in agony once more. If it wasn't for Lucius' iron hold, she would have collapsed on to the ground by now. Her knees were failing to support her body and Adie hung forward, relying on Lucius' arms to keep her upright. Bellatrix muttered something that Adie could not hear over the noise of blood rushing in her ears. Suddenly her support was gone and her face came into contact with the grass below her. A sharp kick was aimed at her but the pain of that barely made it through the left over sensation of the Cruciatus.

Bellatrix crouched and grabbed Adie's sunshine hair, yanking it hard, so her head was level with Bellatrix's mouth. "Do you _love_ him, are you in _love_ with your precious Black? Because he's going to be so fucking heart-broken when he finds your dead body."

Lestrange let go of Adie's hair, letting her skull crack back down to Earth, before asking her again where the Potters were.

"I… am _not_ telling you, you bitch," Adie was struggling to speak now, thanks to her physical injuries not mental ones this time. "You can kill me, you can kill Sirius, you can murder the whole lot of us and you still won't win. Eventually love and good is going to overpower you, because that's the way life works -"

"So naïve," Lucius laughed from somewhere above Adie, who was still blinded.

But the girl carried on, "You fight because you can't love, and you don't understand it. Ignorance is the root of all downfalls."

"Spare me the sentimentality, Shakespeare," Bellatrix's voice was acidic and bored. Adie knew it was coming soon; the older witch had run out of patience. "I expect you'll be seeing your boyfriend soon, because you got one thing right, Blondie, we are going to kill the lot of you which means, although we might not "win" this stupid battle of love or whatever you were moaning on about, neither will you."

It was seconds away now and Adie could only pray that they would not pair the Killing curse with the Cruciatus. With the pain of that curse Adie would not be able to do what she needed to, her dying act. Thankfully Bellatrix killed her with the unforgivable, yet mercifully painful, Avada Kedavra alone. So Adrianna Greengrass died, body and soul concentrated on the one thing that she had given everything for, the one thing that made this pain and sacrifice bearable: Sirius.

* * *

><p>He sat motionless, one hand absent-mindedly stroking the cat. It was two in the morning and she was still not home; the note she had stuck on the fridge said that she had left the house at nine the previous morning. Sirius knew that Adie was dead; his whole life, the only woman that he had ever truly loved, the girl who had overcome so much to be with him, was gone. He had never been worthy of having such a radiant and brilliant person in his life, he knew that – but why couldn't it have been him to have been taken and murdered?<p>

Sirius refused to let himself truly believe it, believe that such a vibrant person could have ceased to exist. Not the person upon whom his whole existence was hinged. But when he heard that knock at the front door, he knew it was time to face up to the truth. However he had not expected the bearer of bad news to be her. Perhaps he would have been able to hold himself together if it had not been his grudgingly affectionate former teacher delivering the awful confirmation.

"I am so sorry, Black," McGonagall said as he opened the door to her. He simply turned around straight away and sat back down on the sofa. The teacher followed him into the room, shutting the front door behind her.

"Two Muggles found a body in some woods near Aylesbury; it was Adrianna. I am really so, _so_ sorry to tell you this, Sirius."

It was the first time the professor had ever used his first name to his face. Sirius took a deep breath and closed his eyes; it already felt like she was overwhelmingly everywhere. He could smell her, the scent of her shampoo on himself and the cushions around him, even the cat sitting placidly unaware next to him was a reminder of Adie – it had been her idea to buy the unctuous creature in the first place.

"She had a few cuts to the face and arms; it appears she was subjected to the Cruciatus curse before being murdered with the Killing curse. The Potters are safe and, seeing as you are too, I think it's safe to assume she did not give anything away."

"Of course she didn't," Sirius spoke for the first time, spitting his words angrily. The idea that anyone would remember Adie as anything less that the good person that she had been revolted him. Not as much as he was revolted by the idea of her having to be remembered at all though. She should be there with him. Hester crawled on to his lap, wondering why his constant petting of her had ceased. This warm presence tipped him over the edge, the hole that had started to form now ripped open to consume him.

The next thing Sirius was aware of, he was crying awful racking sobs and McGonagall had her surprisingly strong arms around his shoulders.

"Adrianna died doing the right thing, protecting and loving you all. That won't ever be forgotten, and neither will she."

* * *

><p>He did not bother to rouse himself until the day of her funeral; someone else must have made all of the arrangements, Em or Remus most likely. Sirius felt vaguely guilty but that was soon stopped by yet another swing of Firewhiskey, which was all that had been getting him through the days recently. That, and little Harry. Prongs often bought him to Sirius' apartment, to prevent his friend from getting too lonely and also to do some tidying as Sirius was apt to let the flat fall to disrepair now. James was under instruction to make sure his best friend was remembering to eat and wash, and other such everyday functions which grieving men can forget to do. People did visit him, often, with well-wishes and their own grief – Adie had been popular. And to see that he was not alone in missing her unbearably did help Sirius, but no one else knew just how he felt. She'd been the only person who had ever understood him; every time Adie had looked at him, he had seen that she completely knew and comprehended. That was gone. Everything was gone.<p>

When he arrived at the church, he was taken to the sister chapel where her casket lay, open. Sirius steeled his nerves to see her one last time but when he finally did peer into the coffin, he felt an odd sensation of removal from the body lying there. She looked strangely pale, unlike the sun-kissed girl he had loved and the thin red line running across the right side of her face was unfamiliar. Her eyes were shut so he could not seek that look of clarity and comprehension that he missed so much. Adie had always been such a vivacious person, that death turned her to a complete stranger. Sirius had seen many corpses as an Auror and the worst part was how they looked like the people they had previously been, only sleeping. A cruel illusion. This did not look like Adie.

The only connection her fiancé could find was that irrepressible hair, spread out across the interior of the casket. It lit up the drab cream fabric that she lay on, framing her perfectly. Without stopping to think, his fingertips went to run over her locks; he wasn't sure if this was allowed but the priest said nothing. It felt the same as ever and finally a tear ran down his cheek. His life was going to be much less bright without Adie. He had once heard the story of a man who, upon opening his wife's coffin, found it full of her hair which had continued to grow after her death. Sirius was not sure this was scientifically possible, but he found the thought comforting nevertheless. Something as vital and vibrant as that sunshine, honey hair could not cease to be, he knew that.

The ceremony itself passed in a blur. Few things stood out to Sirius that he could remember later on in life (after the Dementors took all his happy memories with Adie away from him, his mind was reduced to dwelling on this day a lot). Yet he could always recall Lily's face, streaked with tears; it was the only face that came close to expressing the same grief he felt. Of course, everyone else was heartbroken too, but he could see Lily's pain was more akin to his own than anyone else's. Sirius also noted the way baby Harry had watched the whole funeral from James' arms, sitting next to Sirius. He had not cried or moaned, nothing. Until the wake, when James gave him to Sirius to hold (under his own supervision); then Harry had begun to smile, reaching out to his godfather's face and chuckling quietly. At this, James had tried to take Harry back, worrying that his son's cheerfulness would upset Sirius, but it hadn't.

Life would go on, without Adie, without him, without any of them. There was still hope somewhere out there, even if Sirius was too blinded to see it right now.

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><p><strong>AN:** I'm so sorry! D:  
>I did <em>not<em> have fun writing this. But it had to be this way - there is no Adie in canon HP.  
>I probably don't want reviews of this chapter! You're probably all mad with me! (p.s. I still want reviews, angry or not :'))<br>There is one last chapter/epilogue to go. See you then.

Elle xx


	30. Chapter 30: Daily Prophet

**Chapter 30:**

**MADMAN BLACK ARRESTED FOR MURDER OF THIRTEEN**

Former Auror Sirius Black has been arrested and will be sent to Azkaban, without trial, following the murder of thirteen Muggles and wizard Peter Pettigrew. This tragic event comes just days after the downfall of You-Know-Who and his murder of Black's "best friends" James and Lily Potter. Officials believe that Black, as Secret Keeper for the Potters, revealed their location to the Dark Wizard acting as a double agent.

Black's mass-murder was a brutal killing of twelve innocent Muggles as well as another of his school friends, hero Peter Pettigrew. Pettigrew attempted to defend the memory of his departed friends and alerted the world to Black's betrayal before the madman created an explosion, killing everyone in the surrounding area. All officials could find of Pettigrew, was a severed finger; he has been awarded the First Class Order of Merlin, posthumously. Both this and the remaining part of Mr Pettigrew have been sent to his family.

Minister for Magic Crouch has decreed that Black will not be put to trial but sent to Azkaban immediately. Many are angry that he has not been sentenced to the Dementors' Kiss. He hass been sentenced for being responsible for the deaths of Pettigrew, the twelve Muggles, and James and Lily Potter.

Many believe the trigger of Black's behaviour to be the death of his fiancée, Adrianna Greengrass, last August. Her death had a large impact on the wizarding community as the first pure-blood murdered by He –Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's army. Her sister, Calliope Greengrass, writes in the Commentary section of today's _Prophet_, discussing her sister's positive contributions to society, how Adrianna would have reacted to Black's actions, and why she herself was prompted by her sister's death to leave the Death Eaters society. The Ministry is also looking into potential links between Black and the death of Adrianna Greengrass; they believe he may have been involved in her murder too. Calliope Greengrass strongly denies this idea, stating "he loved her in a very pure way and would never have done anything to hurt my sister. Although I find his recent actions to be reprehensible, of course, I believe my sister's death to have been the _trigger_ for these actions. I do not think Black would have had a hand in Adrianna's murder".

Our thoughts are with the Pettigrew family. Lily and James Potter are survived by their only son, Harry. _To read more about Harry Potter's miraculous survival against You-Know-Who, turn to page 4._

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><p><strong><em>AN:_**A year on, and _The Grass Is Always Greener_ is complete. Thank you so much for your continued support.

Any final reviews would be beyond appreciated, absolutely loved, in fact. Thank you again, so much, I can't express how grateful I am for every single person who has read and enjoyed this fic!

I love you all, you're beautiful!

Elle xoxo


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